Freezing rain, sleet, snow reach North Texas; winter storm warning issued
North Texans need to find the blankets, protect the plants and cover the outdoor faucets as a harsh arctic front has arrived, bringing with it bitter cold temperatures, freezing rain, sleet and snow.
A winter storm warning went into effect for counties northwest of Fort Worth at 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
The warning went into effect 6 p.m. Wednesday and is set to last until 6 p.m. Thursday for Fort Worth, Tarrant County and other nearby counties. By 11 p.m., rain and below freezing temperatures in the DFW metroplex created icy conditions conducive to hazardous roads and increased the risk of power outages that were affecting nearly 25,000 Oncor customers before midnight.
The freeze line moved steadily south and east through the evening and blanketed North Texas by late Wednesday. Freezing rain was reported throughout Tarrant County after 10 p.m., with a 100% chance of a wintry mix throughout the night.
The precipitation is expected to transition to snow at about 6 a.m. Thursday, with 1-3 inches expected across Tarrant County. Snow accumulations could be higher in other North Texas counties.
The daytime high Wednesday was 52, but temperatures fell throughout the day and was down to 32 at 7 p.m.
MedStar said on Twitter Wednesday that response to crashes with injuries were up 300% between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. over the same period the previous week in areas serviced by the emergency medical response company.
Call volumes were up 7.9% during that same period, according to MedStar.
“The rain will transition over to freezing rain over for late evening commuters,” said meteorologist Steve Fano with the NWS in Fort Worth on Wednesday. “It will really start to get dicey by midnight.”
North Texans should expect ice accumulations of two-tenths to half an inch, making travel dangerous, according to NWS officials.
Authorities said if you have to travel on the highways and roads, keep a flashlight, food, blankets and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.
The wintry precipitation will continue off-and-on Thursday, ending sometime Thursday evening as authorities are anticipating power outages in some North Texas neighborhoods.
Schools districts across North Texas have closed their campuses on Thursday and Friday in anticipation of the bone-chilling winter storm.
North Texans will wake up to temperatures around 19 on Thursday morning. Wind chills are expected below zero on Thursday morning.
Very cold mornings are in the forecast for several days in North Texas.
The high temperature on Friday should climb to 35 and it should be about 40 on Saturday during the day.
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 6:20 AM.
