The Latest: Ice storm warning for Fort Worth area to make travel on roads ‘nearly impossible’
Here’s the latest on the winter storm hitting North Texas. Check back for updates throughout the day, and sign up to get breaking news alerts here.
The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for Tarrant and 13 other North Texas counties from 6 a.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday, officials said. Dallas County will continue under a winter storm warning, with more of a mix of sleet and freezing rain in the forecast.
Hunter Reeves from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said the areas affected by the ice storm could see up to half an inch of freezing rain Wednesday, making the roads extremely treacherous. As ice accumulates, power outages and tree damage are more likely, Reeves said.
According to Reeves, the freezing rain could start after 6 a.m. and will ramp up around noon. More is expected Wednesday evening.
The ice storm warning says that travel could become “nearly impossible” Wednesday. The ice storm warning includes Tarrant, Denton, Hood, Johnson, Parker, Wise, Somervell, Young, Jack, Stephens, Palo Pinto, Eastland, Erath and Comanche counties.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the upper 20s throughout the day.
DFW set a new daily snowfall record with 1.3 inches of sleet as of Tuesday afternoon. For the purposes of record keeping, sleet on the ground is considered the same as snowfall, the weather service said. The old record was 1.2 inches, set in 1985.
David Bonnette, a spokesperson for the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, said temperatures stayed below freezing all day Tuesday, and any water that has fallen on the roads is now frozen.
“Roads are pretty treacherous,” he said.
And road conditions are expected to deteriorate, according to the National Weather Service. Travel will being impacted through at least Wednesday night.
Bonnette said officials are advising people to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. For those who have to be out and about, Bonnette said to give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination and leave plenty of space between yourself and the other vehicles.
Thundersleet was reported in some areas Tuesday, including Fort Worth. Isolated thunderstorms were accompanied by bursts of accumulating sleet and freezing rain across North and Central Texas.
Reeves said conditions will start to improve Thursday, when temperatures will be back in the 40s. Rain is in the forecast Thursday, too, according to Reeves, but the temperature won’t get low enough for it to freeze. On Friday temperatures will reach into the 50s.
“Bear through it and there should be some good on the other side,” Reeves said.
7:33 AM: Moderate band of sleet moving through the Metroplex and areas west and east. There could be some freezing rain falling in this too. Road conditions are just going to get worse today. Please use caution if you are out driving, slow down and allow extra travel time. #dfwwx pic.twitter.com/khq8Wmbsg1
— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) January 31, 2023
School closings
Many school districts in the Fort Worth area, including Fort Worth ISD, are closed through at least Wednesday.
Fort Worth ISD continues to monitor weather conditions and communicate with the National Weather Service and local agencies, the district said.
Road conditions
Most major highway surrounding Fort Worth have been covered in ice, according to a TxDOT map of road conditions that is updated at drivetexas.org.
As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, 34 hours into the winter storm, MedStar ambulance crews had responded to 151 motor vehicle accidents, including 19 rollover crashes. Most of the crashes occurred Monday and early Tuesday morning. Major crashes with dozens of injured people transported to hospitals have been reported across the region.
One fatality was reported in a roll-over crash in Arlington.
Power outages
There was a low to medium risk of ice damage to power lines and trees Tuesday. To report an outage to Oncor, text OUT to 66267, use the MyOncor app, or select “Report an Outage” on the website. You may also call 888-313-4747 to report your outage. Oncor was reporting about 13,000 customers without electricity as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Texas power grid
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday assured Texans that the state’s power grid is working.
The Public Utility Commission expects to see some outages as a result of icing on electric infrastructure and power lines, but local outages do not mean there’s a problem with the grid, Abbott said from the State Operations Center in Austin.
“The power grid itself is functioning very efficiently as we speak right now, and there’s not anticipated to be any challenge to the power grid in the state of Texas,” he said.
Abbott instructed those who may experience an outage to check with their electricity provider for updates. Oncor delivers electricity to much of the Fort Worth-area.
We're most concerned about ice buildup causing tree damage and power issues where the ice storm warning is in effect. Outside of that area should see less ice accumulation on trees and powerlines. Still, roads will be bad everywhere! Stay home if you can. #dfwwx #ctxwx pic.twitter.com/5b2C1Zy1Bu
— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) January 31, 2023
Flight cancellations at DFW, Love Field airports
At Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, more than 800 arriving and departing flights were canceled Tuesday, including many American Airlines flights. Almost 300 were canceled at Love Field, mainly by Southwest Airlines.
Hundreds more flights are expected to be canceled at the two airports on Wednesday.
All it takes is a little ice to kill
Nearly two years ago, it was a patch of thin ice on Interstate 35W’s toll lanes in Fort Worth that caused more than 130 cars and trucks to crash in a horrific pileup that killed six people.
Recently released documents say people were driving an average of 100 mph just before the February 2021 disaster.
Rescuers spoke to the Star-Telegram on the anniversary last year. By chance, one paramedic was stopped on icy I-35W when the first cars slammed into each other. Then another, and another, and another, until cars and trucks were smashed into twisted piles of metal. When the crashing stopped, it was eerily quiet. Then came the panicked cries.
Another paramedic reflected: “How many people there had Starbucks cups and wouldn’t be there if they hadn’t stopped? Whose alarms didn’t go off, so they were late leaving? A lot of those cars were still in drive and connected to Bluetooth. Some wheels were still turning. You could hear phones ringing, people calling them. Radios were still on. It was like a scene from an apocalyptic movie.”
Weather watches and warnings
A live data feed from the National Weather Service containing official weather warnings, watches, and advisory statements. Tap warning areas for more details. Sources: NOAA, National Weather Service, NOAA GeoPlatform and Esri.
Current Temperatures
Current temperatures and weather data from NOAA weather stations updated hourly. Tap on the map for current weather conditions, including humidity, wind speed. and direction. Data provided by NOAA and Esri.
