Warm Christmas may give way to stormy, cooler weekend in DFW

Updated Friday night.

Driving to Grandma’s house for Christmas won’t be a problem. If you stay for the weekend, though, the return trip may be a little dicey.

Friday was one of the warmest Christmas Days on record with a high of 73 (the record is 78 set in 1922 and 1934), but there is a 70 percent chance of rain on Saturday and and a 90 percent chance on Sunday.

Temperatures will drop Sunday, and there’s a slight chance of snow late Sunday into Monday.

Most of North Texas could see 3 to 5 inches of rain, enough to cause another round of flooding. Areas north and northeast of Dallas-Fort Worth could get up to 10 inches by the time the storm system moves out Monday.

A flash-flood watch has been issued from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Monday. Drivers along and east of Interstate 35 should be aware of “an enhanced flood risk,” the weather service said.

“I really think the impacts start after dark Saturday night,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Fano. “We’re going to be dealing with flooding again. As far as for travel, people need to be aware.”

Those traveling through the Texas Panhandle should take extra precaution. Forecasts call for an 80 percent to 90 percent chance of heavy snow, with winds in the 25-to-35 mph range.

“Honestly, in the Panhandle and South Plains, we’re talking a major winter storm,” Fano said. “We’re talking feet of snow.”

Dallas-Fort Worth could get a taste of snow late Sunday and early Monday, but temperatures will likely be too warm for it to stick, said meteorologist Jesse Moore. A low of 35 is forecast early Monday, he said.

However, farther west, the temperature may drop below freezing and the rain could turn to snow.

Besides unseasonably warm temperatures for Christmas Day, there was a full moon for the first time since 1977.

The moon reached its peak at 5:11 a.m. Friday, according to NASA. The next full moon on Christmas won’t appear until 2034.

The next round of rain will likely push Dallas-Fort Worth over the 60-inch total for 2015, which is already the wettest on record, with 59.49 inches of rain falling at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

But it is not expected to threaten the December record of 8.75 inches set in 1991.

So far this month, we’ve received 0.71 inches of rain, which seems quite dry after the record 9.86 inches that fell in November.

“We need eight inches of rain to break that record, but it’s not completely out of the question,” Fano said.

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Warm Christmas may give way to stormy, cooler weekend in DFW."