Ice storm warning in place to the west, but DFW will stay cold and wet

The freeze line was drifting into Tarrant County Wednesday, but forecasters were expecting the icy roads to stay just west of Fort Worth.

Unless temperatures drop further than expected, icy conditions should stay out of Tarrant County.

But travel conditions in parts of Parker, Wise and Jack counties may remain challenging through Thursday morning.

"There won't be much improvement where there's been frozen precipitation," said National Weather Service meteorologist Juan Hernandez, who advised those headed west or northwest from Fort Worth to exercise caution.

" I think as soon as you cross the county line you're going to start seeing problems," Hernandez said.

While there a slight break from the rainy weather was expected Wednesday night, more rain is on the way Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Forecasters are predicting 3 more inches of rain could add to the 2-5 inches that have already fallen across Tarrant County.

Through midafternoon Wednesday, some of the highest 48-hour rainfall totals included northeast Arlington, 5.44 inches; east of Westover Hills, 5.04 inches; Watauga, 4.72 inches; east of Pecan Acres, 4.53 inches; North Richland Hills, 4.52 inches; and north of Edgecliff Village, 4.24 inches. The official reporting station for the Metroplex, Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, had seen 3.4 inches through 1 p.m. Wednesday.

"It was pretty widespread across the area with multiple rounds of rain," Hernandez said.

Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Val Lopez said crews will be monitoring icy conditions outside Tarrant County and keeping an eye on wet roads across the Dallas-Fort Worth area..

“At this point, motorists are advised that they should drive with a great deal of caution and allow plenty of time to get to their destination,” Lopez said. “If they see high water, they need to find an alternate route.”

Motorists should watch for puddling in low-lying areas on roadways and ramps and deeper water in construction zones.

During the rush hour commute early Wednesday, numerous wrecks were reported in Tarrant County: northbound Interstate 35W at AltaMesa Drive in south Fort Worth (5-mile backup), on Texas 121 near Bass Pro Drive in Grapevine and along the North Tarrant Express in Hurst.

Flooding in Dallas and McKinney led to five high-water rescues Tuesday, including one at Interstate 635 and Park Lane in Dallas, where rescuers used a swift-water boat to pluck a young woman from the top of her SUV.

Bill Hanna: 817-390-7698, @fwhanna

Lee Williams: 817-390-7840, @leewatson

This story was originally published February 21, 2018 at 6:41 AM with the headline "Ice storm warning in place to the west, but DFW will stay cold and wet."