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Winter Weather Continuing in North Texas

Winter Weather
Winter Roads | Image by Benoit Daoust/Shutterstock

9 p.m.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is still warning drivers against driving with current road conditions due to the ice storm with conditions expected to remain similar through Thursday.

According to the NWS, road conditions will still be treacherous in North and Central Texas as late as early Thursday.

Western North Texas is at risk of power failure as a result of the ice storm from Wednesday, the weather service cautioned. Winter Weather Warnings are in effect for that area until Thursday morning.

Road conditions are expected to improve my Wednesday night for Central Texas and Thursday night for North Texas.

The weather service did tweet a more optimistic forecast for Saturday, predicting a sunny day.

After nearly thousands of combined cancellations, DFW Airport and Love Field Airport have both stated that they are continuing to monitor weather conditions. DFW Airport reminded travelers to check the status of their flights.

School districts to be closed Wednesday:

  • Dallas ISD
  • Fort Worth ISD
  • Arlington ISD
  • Aledo ISD
  • Allen ISD
  • Alvarado ISD
  • Alvord ISD
  • Anna ISD
  • Argyle ISD
  • Athens ISD
  • Aubrey ISD
  • Avalon ISD
  • Azle ISD
  • Birdville ISD
  • Blooming Grove ISD
  • Blue Ridge ISD
  • Blum ISD
  • Boles ISD
  • Boyd ISD
  • Bridgeport ISD
  • Brock ISD
  • Burleson ISD
  • Canton ISD
  • Carroll ISD
  • Carrollton/Farmers Branch ISD
  • Castleberry ISD
  • Cedar Hill ISD
  • Celeste ISD
  • Celina ISD
  • Chico ISD
  • Cleburne ISD
  • Collinsville ISD
  • Commerce ISD
  • Community ISD
  • Coppell ISD
  • Corsicana ISD
  • Crandall ISD
  • Crowley ISD
  • Decatur ISD
  • Denton ISD
  • DeSoto ISD
  • Dublin ISD
  • Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD
  • Ennis ISD
  • Everman ISD
  • Farmersville ISD
  • Forney ISD
  • Frisco ISD
  • Gainesville ISD
  • Garland ISD
  • Glen Rose ISD
  • Godley ISD
  • Gordon ISD
  • Grand Prairie ISD
  • Grandview ISD
  • Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
  • Hamilton ISD
  • Highland Park ISD
  • Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD
  • Irving ISD
  • Italy ISD
  • Jacksboro ISD
  • Joshua ISD
  • Kaufman ISD
  • Keller ISD
  • Kemp ISD
  • Kennedale ISD
  • Kerens ISD
  • Krum ISD
  • Lake Dallas ISD
  • Lewisville ISD
  • Lipan ISD
  • Lone Oak ISD
  • Lovejoy ISD
  • Mabank ISD
  • Malakoff ISD
  • Mansfield ISD
  • McKinney ISD
  • Melissa ISD
  • Mesquite ISD
  • Midlothian ISD
  • Millsap ISD
  • Mineral Wells ISD
  • Muenster ISD
  • Northwest ISD
  • Palmer ISD
  • Palo Pinto ISD
  • Paradise ISD
  • Paris ISD
  • Peaster ISD
  • Plano ISD
  • Poolville ISD
  • Princeton ISD
  • Prosper ISD
  • Quinlan ISD
  • Rains ISD
  • Red Oak ISD
  • Richardson ISD
  • Rio Vista ISD
  • Rockwall ISD
  • Royse City ISD
  • Sanger ISD
  • Santo ISD
  • Sherman ISD
  • Springtown ISD
  • Stephenville ISD
  • Sunnyvale ISD
  • Terrell ISD
  • Trenton ISD
  • Trinidad ISD
  • Van ISD
  • Venus ISD
  • Walnut Springs ISD
  • Waxahachie ISD
  • Weatherford ISD
  • White Settlement ISD
  • Wills Point ISD

Additional school closures, including private schools and college campuses, are listed here.

4 p.m.

The National Weather Service tweeted more updates related to the historic winter weather storm around 3:45 p.m.

“We’re most concerned about ice buildup causing tree damage and power issues where the ice storm warning is in effect,” the NWS said in a tweet. “Outside of that area should see less ice accumulation on trees and powerlines. Still, roads will be bad everywhere! Stay home if you can.”

Meanwhile, sleet and freezing rain continued throughout the day as of 3:05 p.m., the NWS said.

An Ice Storm Warning was in effect as of 3 p.m.

The Winter Weather Warning, issued yesterday, will remain until 12 p.m. Wednesday.

Road conditions

The NWS warned of the hazardous conditions and told people to stay off the roads.

Accidents on I-35 W have caused all main lanes to be closed with delays expected, according to DriveTexas.

Meanwhile, DriveTexas also said that the large amounts of ice and snow meant that the Texas Department of Transportation was plowing roads in the area.

A Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officer was struck by a car on I-45 while investigating a crash, according to the Corsicana Daily Sun. The officer, Curtis Putz, was investigating a collision on the highway. He is in serious condition at a hospital in the Dallas area.

A spokesperson for the Texas DPS told the Corsicana Daily Sun that the situation is part of an ongoing investigation and no additional information will be released.

Arlington also saw a death from a car accident on I-20 Monday night, according to WFAA.

The driver, a 45-year-old man, was taken to the hospital, where he died.

Witnesses reported that the driver lost control crossing the Green Oaks Boulevard overpass before running into a guardrail and down an embankment. The driver was ejected, according to police.

A video circulating on social media appears to show vehicles in Dallas sliding along icy roads as a result of the storm.

Airports

A total of 632 flights have been canceled out of both DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field, according to FlightAware. DFW had 487 cancellations and Dallas Love Field had 145.

In addition, 208 flights at DFW were delayed compared to 35 at Dallas Love Field.

In total, there have been 875 flight disruptions out of Dallas-Fort Worth.

12 p.m.

The latest update from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth came at 10:38 a.m. and said the sleet and freezing rain had shifted east over the Dallas side of the metroplex, to the northern and eastern parts of the area. 

The NWS added that Tarrant County had 0.5 inches of sleet accumulated on its roads, parking lots, and sidewalks.

“Bundling up indoors and staying off the roads is a good plan,” the NWS tweeted.

Road conditions

The winter weather in North Texas is continuing to cause traffic issues. 

All lanes of Interstate 35W in Denton were shut down at Crawford Road Tuesday morning due to an 18-wheeler that spun out and blocked the road. The Denton Police Department tweeted around 9 a.m. that motorists should take an alternate route to avoid the area. The highway was reopened just before 11 a.m. 

To check road closures and conditions, visit TxDOT’s DriveTexas website

Flight cancellations continue to mount

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field have seen the number of flight cancellations mount substantially since 8 a.m. At noon, DFW’s total cancellations of outbound flights had reached 398, while 441 inbound flights had been canceled.

Love Field has seen 132 outbound flights and 138 inbound flights canceled, according to Flight Aware.

Some flights are still leaving DFW, with the airport tweeting an update at around 9:30 a.m. stating that it continues to monitor the forecast and treat runways, roadways, bridges, and pedestrian walkways for any potential ice.

“Customers should check with their airline for the latest status of their flight before heading to the airport,” the airport tweeted. “Also, we ask travelers to allow extra time to get to DFW, and to approach the entrance plazas cautiously when driving into or out of the airport.”

Love Field tweeted before 11 a.m. that its ground stop had been lifted.

9 a.m.

A winter storm warning for North Texas will remain effective until 6 a.m. Thursday as freezing rain and sleet continue to hit the area over the next few days.

Monday saw an accumulation of 0.25 inches to 0.50 inches of sleet and 0.10 inches to 0.25 inches of freezing rain across North Texas, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth told The Dallas Express.

Tuesday’s forecast includes daytime highs in the upper 20s and winds of 10 to 15 mph. The chance of precipitation will be 80%, and the wind chill will be as low as 11.

Total accumulations of ice ranging from 0.10 inches to 0.50 inches across the area will be possible.

Freezing rain will remain possible for most of North Texas into Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The additional rounds of freezing rain and sleet could accumulate an additional 0.10 inches to 0.30 inches.

The winter weather has caused a few injuries, with Medstar reporting at 5 a.m. Tuesday that eight patients had suffered from hypothermia, with seven of them transported to area hospitals and five in serious condition. Nine patients have reportedly been injured in falls from slipping on ice.

Road conditions

With temperatures staying below freezing all day, icy roads, bridges, and overpasses are likely. Travel could be perilous for most of North Texas and is discouraged unless necessary.

“If you can, it’s best to stay home,” Val Lopez with the Texas Department of Transportation in Fort Worth told the Star-Telegram on Tuesday. “There are already some spots that are difficult.”

MedStar said in its 5 a.m. update that its ambulances had responded to 142 motor vehicle accidents in North Texas, including 19 accidents overnight and 16 rollover crashes.

As of 11:30 p.m. Monday, MedStar had ordered its ambulance operators not to turn on their lights or sirens, as drivers moving to let them pass may increase the risk of accidents.

Lopez noted that hundreds of drivers were stuck in a 20-mile backup of eastbound traffic on Interstate 20 in Parker County early Tuesday morning as sleet and ice covered the road.

A major accident in the Grapevine area due to ice on the roads forced the closure of all of the right lanes on 114 at Main.

I-35E In Denton County, which saw some of the most sleet and ice on Monday, is backed up with slow-moving traffic, while in Tarrant County, I-30 Eastbound near Walton Walker and SH-121 at Minnis Drive were shut down due to icy roads, according to NBC 5 DFW.

DFW, Love Field flights 

The wintry weather is impacting Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field.

DFW was reporting 295 cancellations of outbound flights by 8 a.m. Tuesday and 267 cancellations of inbound flights. Love Field has had 67 cancellations of outbound flights and 61 cancellations of inbound flights, according to Flight Aware.

In total nationwide, Southwest Airlines has canceled 320 flights, while American Airlines has canceled 313.

North Texas school closings and delays

Many school districts in North Texas are closed Tuesday due to the expected weather conditions.

Some closed districts include Dallas ISD, Fort Worth ISD, Southlake-Carroll ISD, Plano ISD, and Frisco ISD, according to NBC 5. An up-to-date list of school closures and delays can be found here.

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1 Comment

  1. Pap

    You’d think this was the first time we’ve ever had ice or snow. When I was 18 years old, I drove to work. Had never driven on ice before. It took me an hour and 15 minutes for a normally 15 minute drive, but I made it. A lot of it is the idiots allowed to drive. When I was 21, it had drizzled rain all night. I had an 8am appointment with my dentist. Couldn’t reach him to cancel because so early. I thought it inconsiderate not to go. LBJ was so slick, if I went 1 mile over 20, the car would start to slide. So I drove 20 or less all the way there. I had a hard time getting to the building because it was on a hill. But I put the car in low and gave it the gas and made it. The doctor and his assistant were applauding me when I walked in. They were watching me struggle through the window. It takes common sense driving and patience.

    Reply

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