North Texas roads: Thaw begins but refreeze expected to make conditions icy again Saturday
Some icy roads in North Texas saw thawing Friday afternoon, but don’t be fooled by sunshine in North Texas, the Texas Department of Transportation warned Friday.
Freezing conditions leading to refreezing of water overnight are expected to make driving hazardous again by Saturday morning, according to transportation officials and the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
Shawna Russell, of the TxDOT Fort Worth District, urged drivers to stay inside and delay any travel if possible.
“TxDOT’s Fort Worth District crews have been working six days straight to pre-treat, treat, and clear roadways in our nine-county area,” Russell said Friday. “We need the public’s help to safely navigate and reach our goal today, which is making roads as safe and passable as possible given current, and changing, conditions.”
Russell said residents can do two things to help crews: give extra space on the roads and drive slow.
A winter storm plowed into Dallas-Fort Worth on Wednesday night, covering the area with ice and snow by Thursday morning. Although the wintry mix moved east by Thursday afternoon, freezing temperatures likely will keep ice in place on many roads until Saturday afternoon.
Saturday morning wind chills are expected to bring Dallas-Fort Worth temperatures down as low as 2 degrees. Highs later in the day are predicted to be around 40, conducive to more widespread thawing.
It’ll begin warming up even more Sunday, but well below-freezing temperatures are still expected overnight until Tuesday night.
The overnight low between Tuesday and Wednesday is forecast to reach 35.
Most roads and highways were open, though icy, in North Texas on Friday, said Val Lopez with TxDOT Fort Worth in a telephone interview with the Star-Telegram.
Lopez said crews would continue on Friday putting down sand, salt and brine on roads and highways.
“This was a unique storm in that we had so much rain before the storm arrived,” Lopez said. “That all froze and we are dealing with it now.”
MedStar, which provides emergency medical service in Fort Worth and some surrounding cities, reported its ambulances responded to four crashes Friday between 10 a.m. and noon. The service said on Twitter it had been responding to an increased number of crashes Friday at underpasses that were shaded and not thawing.
Between 3 p.m. Wednesday and noon Thursday, the ambulance service responded to 32 crashes with an injury.
MedStar also noted that with a response volume of 393 calls during that period, 10 were for reports of hypothermia.
The National Weather Service said that throughout Wednesday and Thursday, Fort Worth saw 2.5 inches of snow and sleet accumulations. Dallas saw around 1.7 inches.
“Snow and sleet accumulations were heaviest north and west of the Metroplex where 3-5 inches fell,” the weather service said. “A large swath of 1-3 inches occurred elsewhere with the lightest amounts in the southeast.”
If it is absolutely necessary to get out on the road, TxDOT has some tips for safer driving.
- Reduce your speed and keep at least three times the normal distance between you and other vehicles.
- Stay away from road work vehicles, such as plows and salting trucks.
- Never use cruise control.
- If you start to slide, slowly let off the gas or brakes and turn into the skid until you regain traction and can safely correct.
- Keep an emergency roadside kit with first aid, jumper cables, sand or cat litter, flashlights, warm clothes, snacks, water, a shovel and an ice scraper in your car.
- Check that your battery is healthy and your windshield wipers work, and make sure you have enough gas for possible travel delays.
- Be familiar with your route and let others know the route and the latest you should arrive so they can check in to make sure you made it safely.
- Move over a lane away from any vehicles stopped, including those stopped on the shoulder.
- Use additional caution when crossing bridges or elevated surfaces, as they freeze earlier and take longer to thaw.
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 4:37 PM.