Many Texans saw the first snow of 2023 yesterday as a result of a storm system that moved through the northern and northwestern regions of the state.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the storm system came in Monday night, bringing with it some much-needed moisture to North Texas. Yet this also caused temperatures to significantly drop and left parts of the state covered in snow.
Most of those residing in Dallas-Fort Worth experienced cloudy skies, chilly temperatures, and rain. A little further north, parts of Texoma, including Vernon, Seymour, Archer City, and Wichita Falls, began seeing snow as early as 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to KFDX.
On Tuesday, Gunter, Collinsville, and Bowie saw the most accumulation of snow at 2.0 inches. Gainesville, Decatur, and Denton are listed as having received 1.0 inches while Bonham only saw 0.3 inches of accumulation, according to data from the National Weather Service Fort Worth.
Usually, the DFW metroplex receives around 1.4 inches of snow annually. Last winter the average snowfall was higher than usual, reaching 1.7 inches.
Bianca Garcia, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, told The Dallas Express that storm systems bringing in these small dustings of snow are normal occurrences in the DFW.
“There has not been a winter where traces of snow have not been reported by the DFW Airport since the 1800s,” said Garcia.
These wintry conditions had the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) working 12-hour around-the-clock shifts in some parts of the state to maintain traveling safety in areas that might have seen frozen accumulation.
Adèle Lewis, a TxDOT public information officer, warned KFDX that although the snow has stopped falling, overpasses and bridges are usually the first to freeze and the last things to thaw.
“Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, travel is expected to deteriorate,” she said.
Thanks to temperatures not dropping below freezing overnight, not all parts of the region were transformed into a winter wonderland. For the most part, Garcia said DFW only received a bit of accumulation but it was not enough to measure.