Sleet and snow are headed for Fort Worth. Winter storm watch includes Tarrant County.
It’s time to grab the coats and gloves in Tarrant County as a cold front has arrived with gusty north winds.
Forecasters have included Tarrant County in a winter storm watch which goes in effect at midnight Tuesday and lasts until 6 p.m. Wednesday. Residents should see a mixture of sleet and snow Wednesday morning.
In Tarrant County, forecasters say there should be about an inch of sleet and snow early Wednesday, which means the morning commute will be tricky. The most likely timing for a wintry mix of precipitation in the Fort Worth area will be 3 a.m. to 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Slick, icy roads and bridges are expected in areas where sleet and snow accumulates.
National Weather Service forecasters believe counties to the west and northwest of Fort Worth, included in a winter storm warning, will have accumulations of 2 to 5 inches of snow and sleet. Counties in the warning area included Montague, Young, Jack, Stephens, Palo Pinto and Eastland as of Tuesday afternoon.
The heaviest precipitation is expected between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Heavy sleet is expected in those counties as forecasters say “traffic could be very difficult.”
Fort Worth school officials and other area school districts will be monitoring the potential winter weather to decide whether to cancel classes.
The cold front arrived Tuesday morning in downtown Fort Worth with temperatures dropping quickly. At Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth shortly before 9 a.m., it was 48 degrees. At the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, it was 64.
The high temperature for Tuesday was reached earlier in the morning with 65 degrees at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.
And it will only get colder.
“It’s going to get worse,” said meteorologist Monique Sellers with the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth.
North Texans will wake up to freezing temperatures by Wednesday morning, and the high on Wednesday will only reach 36 degrees.
Drive cautiously during morning commute
Forecasters are warning drivers to be alert on Wednesday morning. Here are some winter driving safety tips:
▪ Take along blankets, water, jumper cables, a flashlight, and a tow rope in case you get stranded.
▪ Sand, kitty litter, or cardboard can help you regain traction if you become stuck.
▪ From a stop, accelerate slowly in second gear to get better traction.
▪ If you vehicle begins to skid, gently steer in the direction of the skid to regain control; resist the urge to jerk the steering wheel in the other direction.
▪ Avoid making sharp turns or braking suddenly.
▪ Reduce speed and allow plenty of space between your car and the vehicle in front of you.
American Airlines issued a travel advisory for those at DFW Airport, Abilene, Lawton, Lubbock, Oklahoma City, Stillwater, Tulsa and Wichita Falls. The airlines is waiving fees for customers flying in and out of DFW Airport on Wednesday if they can rebook their flight between Feb. 4 and Feb. 8.
Southwest Airlines also issued a travel alert which included Love Field in Dallas, saying travelers flying in and out of Dallas on Wednesday can rebook their flight within 14 days of the travel date without any additional charges.
In anticipation of all that freezing stuff, crews with the Texas Department of Transportation started spraying liquid brine Monday on the estimated 4,000 bridges and overpasses in a nine-county area of North Texas including Tarrant County. Liquid brine is a mixture of salt and water that is sprayed.
“We had such a warm weekend, but the potential for ice on the roads will be there,” said Val Lopez, a spokesman with the Texas Department of Transportation office in Fort Worth on Monday. “Safety is our top priority, so it’s important we take some precautions.”
In addition, Fort Worth and neighboring city officials are preparing for the potential for sleet and snow.
In Fort Worth, if the ground is cold enough for precipitation to stick, and the forecast calls for ice, snow or freezing rain, sanding crews are put on standby, Fort Worth city officials said Monday. The city can deploy as many as 33 trucks at a time, each working 12-hour shifts.
By Thursday, a sunny sky is in the forecast, but it will be chilly. Daytime temperatures will be in the mid-40s.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 2:29 PM.
