Photos: Historic look back at the coldest winters in Houston

Check out these historic photos of Houstonians making the best of freezing temperatures.

Glenn Bryant, left, and Luis Hernandez warm themselves around a barrel fire at a Christmas tree lot in the 5000 block of the Southwest Freeway on Dec. 23, 1989. Bryant, who operates the tree lot, said an ample supply of trees were left to buy but he was sold out of firewood. less Check out these historic photos of Houstonians making the best of freezing temperatures.

Glenn Bryant, left, and Luis Hernandez warm themselves around a barrel fire at a Christmas tree lot in the 5000 block of ... more Photo: TK Photo: TK Image 1 of / 44 Caption Close Photos: Historic look back at the coldest winters in Houston 1 / 44 Back to Gallery

With the exception of Saturday night's sudden cold front, this winter has been another mild one for Houston.

Late Saturday night, locals went from T-shirts to coats as a cold arctic front blasted through the city.

VIEW FROM ABOVE: What the polar vortex looks like from space

However, the weekend's drop in temperature was pretty tame when compared to years past, when the Bayou City has frozen over.

On some of Houston's frostiest days, fountains turned to ice and drivers had to be diverted from slippery freeways.

In 1951, the Gulf saw a freeze so devastating that it managed to slow the seafood economy along the coastline.

SWEATER HOUNDS: The most popular dogs that can't handle cold weather

"The third freeze of winter 1950-51 began Jan. 28 and was the worst. It was the most prolonged freeze on record for the Texas coast. All bays saw major fish kills, with one state fisheries biologist estimated as much as 90 million pounds of fish died," Chron.com reported in 2011. "The 1951 fish kill crippled recreational and commercial fishing until the middle of the decade."

Check out photos from one of Houston's worst winter storms in the gallery above.