Winter storm in DFW: TX Gov. Greg Abbott gives update on Cotton Bowl, power grid, roads
Forecasted winter weather that’s expected to hit North Texas shouldn’t hinder fans’ ability to attend the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told reporters on Wednesday.
Abbott also expressed confidence in the Texas power grid during the news conference, when the governor and other state officials gave updates on preparations for the frigid temperatures expected in much of the state.
Parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning. The areas under a warning are generally along and north of Interstate 20 and could see two to four inches of snow, according to NWS Fort Worth/Dallas. Some northeast pockets of the region and areas north of the Metroplex could see up to 8 inches of snow.
Abbott said he’s had multiple conversations about the Jan. 10 College Football Playoff semifinal between Texas and Ohio State, including in a Wednesday briefing with emergency management officials. He said he has been assured there should be “no hindrance to people being able to attend the game.”
“Obviously with the potential snow or icing conditions in the DFW area, on I-35, on I-20, on all the different interstates or roadways that lead to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, it’s incredibly important that everybody drive extra safe,” Abbott said. “If you’re very cautious and slow and methodical in you’re driving, everything’s going to be just fine.”
The Texas Department of Transportation is moving crews from South Texas to Dallas-Fort Worth, which is were TxDOT believes the storm will affect the most people, said Brian Barth, the department’s deputy executive director for program delivery.
“They’ll handle the game traffic also,” he said.
Crews will be ready to treat “hot spots” on roads for ice, Barth said.
“We do believe that the pre-treating is going to work, but if there is some accumulation that pre-treating also helps us get the ice removed from the roadways easier, so we’re fully prepared for this event,” Barth said.
Road conditions can be monitored at drivetexas.org.
Texas Division Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said state agency resources are focused “from the I-10, 20 split running up I-20 all the way out through Texarkana, because that’s where the current forecast shows our biggest threat.”
Kidd said that the models for this storm have been varied in terms of how much rain, snow and ice the state could see. The amount of snow could change a lot because of elevation and temperature shifts by just a couple degrees, he said. Kidd urged the public to stay updated and aware of the weather.
Abbott said the power grid appears to be in good shape, but cautioned that there could be localized outages.
“The power grid looks in a very, very strong condition,” Abbott said. “What we have to deal with is not so much whether or not there’s going to be power on the power grid to power the entire state of Texas, but local impacts because of freezing rain on power lines that could cause down power line or could cause trees or tree limbs and things like that to fall to cause a power line to go down.”
Abbott said more than 345 warming centers are open across the state. Locations can be found at tdem.texas.gov/warm.
The governor on Tuesday, Jan. 7 directed the Texas State Operations Center to increase its readiness to level two — escalated response — with winter weather in the forecast for Texas. The center is operated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management and sends information to federal, state and local officials in emergency. It also coordinates state assistance for local governments.
On Jan. 6, Abbott directed the division to activate state emergency response resources.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas on Sunday, Jan. 5 issued a weather watch for the state from Monday through Friday, Jan. 10 due to “forecasted cold weather across the ERCOT region, higher electrical demand, and the potential for lower reserves.” EROCT, which manages the flow of electricity to most of the state, said Monday that normal grid conditions are expected during the weather watch.
This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 12:45 PM.
