Snow in the forecast: Arctic blast to hit North Texas with temps in teens. Here’s when.
A strong cold front moving into North Texas this weekend could bring snow, ice and dangerously frigid temperatures for the first time this winter.
The powerful arctic air mass will make its way into the Metroplex on Friday, leading to a drop in temperatures to the 40s, said David Bonnette, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
Highs will stay in the 40s on Saturday and Sunday with lows in the upper 20s, heading into an even colder start to next week, Bonnette said. A reinforcement of cold air will arrive overnight Sunday into Monday, bringing low temperatures into the teens for North Texas to start next week.
As far as snow and ice, the weather service is keeping an eye on the possibility of wintry precipitation early next week.
“There’s definitely a 10 to 20% chance of some snow or ice,” Bonnette said Monday morning. “Right now it looks like the worst of it should stay to our north.”
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so schools and many offices will already be closed when the possible snow hits. But with temperatures so cold, ice could be an issue Tuesday morning.
Before the chilly weekend, North Texas will settle into the week with rain and windy conditions.
North Texans woke up to rain and thunderstorms Monday, which will subside by the afternoon, Bonnette said. The next big weather event to watch out for this week is strong winds.
The wind will gradually strengthen overnight Monday into Tuesday. The weather service is expecting 20 mph to 30 mph winds with gusts up to 55 mph, Bonnette said.
“If you still have some Christmas decorations out, probably good idea to take down the inflatables,” Bonnette said.
Temperatures will gradually increase this week after Tuesday’s high in the 40s.
Wednesday and Thursday highs will be in the 60s, but by Friday, the cold front will turn down the temperature ahead of the chilly weekend.
The mix of cold, rainy and windy weather is par for the course for North Texas this time of year, Bonnette said. Between January and February is when the Metroplex starts to see increased wintry events.
“Welcome to winter,” Bonnette said.
This story was originally published January 8, 2024 at 1:42 PM.
