Arctic front expected to bring icy weather, hazardous conditions to DFW

Chances are good that DFW motorists will be needing their driving skills as an Arctic front arrives with wintry precipitation and very cold temperatures.

Officials with the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth and the Texas Department of Transportation warned Monday that travel will become hazardous area-wide as the front arrives, bringing with it sleet and snow.

A winter weather advisory is in effect in Tarrant County and other nearby counties from 6 p.m. Monday until noon Tuesday.

"We've been pre-treating roads, highways, bridges and overpasses since last week," TxDOT spokesman Val Lopez said Monday in a telephone interview. "It's not a cure-all. Drivers still must be cautious."

The daytime high Monday should reach 54 degrees, but the arctic front will arrive in the afternoon with gusty north winds and cold temperatures.

North Texans will first experience rain showers, the weather service says.

"There could be a mix of showers and sleet, but it will not get below freezing until Monday night," weather service meteorologist Jason Godwin said.

Freezing rain and sleet will hit late Monday, and then the snow starts falling early Tuesday, Godwin said.

Accumulations of less than an inch of snow are predicted for Tarrant County, but the most amounts of snow are expected in an area from Waco to Corsicana to Canton where 1 to 2 inches could fall, forecasters say.

In those areas, a winter storm warning is in effect from late Monday to 6 p.m. Tuesday. Hazardous travel is likely because of icy bridges and roadways through Wednesday morning.

Bitterly cold temperatures will be around Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Low temperatures will range from single digits in counties north of Fort Worth to the teens in other areas of North Texas.

Officials noted that because of the extremely cold temperatures just light accumulations of sleet and snow will cause hazardous travel conditions.

Domingo Ramirez Jr.: 817-390-7763, @mingoramirezjr

This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 9:58 AM with the headline "Arctic front expected to bring icy weather, hazardous conditions to DFW."