Texas ‘Weather Nerd’ Comes to NYC to See Storm Firsthand

In this Jan. 23, 2016 photo, Steve Yarborough poses for a photo during a snowstorm in New York. When he saw the weekend storm building up, he said he and his wife booked a flight to see it firsthand. Kathleen Yarborough via AP

NEW YORK—Texans Steve and Kathleen Yarborough weren’t quite like the other travelers stuck in New York this weekend: They came to the city because of the big snowstorm.

“I’m a weather nerd,” the husband said in an upbeat tone Monday as the couple waited for a return flight to Houston. “I came out to see the storm.”

Steve Yarborough, a Texas born and bred aviation data specialist, said that in Houston, the closest he gets to snow is on the aviation maps he pores over.

A man operates a snow blower near the Brooklyn Bridge in the borough of Brooklyn in New York on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. A blizzard with hurricane-force winds brought much of the East Coast to a standstill Saturday. AP Photo/Peter Morgan

When he saw the weekend storm building up, he said he and his wife booked a flight to see it firsthand. They got onto the last United Airlines flight to leave Houston for New York.

“People thought we were crazy,” he said. “We played in the snow all day Saturday. Walked down Park Avenue in the middle of the storm. We walked all over the city.”

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On Monday, the couple waited at LaGuardia Airport. Their morning flight was canceled but they were able to get booked standby on an afternoon flight.

And it was worth it.

“I just like snow, because we don’t see it,” he said. “I just think it’s incredible.”

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