There’s an old adage that says, “what a difference a day makes.”

But on December 10, 2008, employees with the Houston Airport System (HAS) learned that sometimes it doesn’t even take that long to see events take an incredibly dramatic turn.

It had been cold that entire day, but the big surprise didn’t arrive until approximately 6 p.m. that evening.

That’s when snowflakes began falling across the Houston area, especially in the northern portion of the city where George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is located.

It was one of the earliest snowfalls in Houston history, and while emergency crews across the city sprang into action, the Operations departments at both IAH and William P. Hobby Airport answered the call as well.

“During a freeze like that, the airlines are in charge of de-icing the aircraft,” says IAH assistant director of operations Mark McClintock. “Our responsibility is focused more on the runways, taxiways, airport bridges and environmental oversight.”

McClintock says from about 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. on December 10th and 11th, several hundred aircraft underwent the de-icing process.

He adds that because of the limited protection offered by the de-icing fluid, pilots only have about five minutes to guide their plane through the de-icing equipment and then make their way up into the air.