What to expect over the next 48 hours in Fort Worth. Hint: It’s nasty
If you thought it was miserably cold Friday in Fort Worth, you’ll soon know the true meaning of misery.
North Texas will dip below freezing Friday night and not emerge until Tuesday afternoon after having endured wind chills of -15. And then, of course, there’s all the ice, sleet and snow.
Here’s a detailed look of what you can expect in Fort Worth from our National Weather Service office here.
Saturday morning: The cold air keeps rolling in relatively close to the ground; as that freezing air mass thickens, it’ll start turning the rain into sleet, especially before dawn. The sleet could be heavy at times. These broad bands of rain might develop thunderstorms Friday night or Saturday morning, which in this case is called “thundersleet” or “thunder-freezing rain.”
Saturday afternoon: Through the day, the temperature will continue to drop to about 19 by 4 p.m., with wind chill values as cold as 6. Forecast models show a “lull” in precipitation, but it isn’t over yet! More widespread, heavy precipitation starts Saturday evening through Saturday night. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Saturday night: Sleet before 4 a.m., possibly mixed with snow. A few thunderstorms are likely, which means periods of heavier sleet and freezing rain. Temps will drop to 13 degrees with wind chill values as low as -1. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 inch possible.
Sunday morning: North Texas will should finally start to see actual snow (or a mix of snow and sleet) early in the day before everything tapers off by noon. By then, everything will be coated with a layer of ice one-quarter to one-half of an inch, topped by 1 to 5 inches of sleet and snow (the higher amounts will be closer to Oklahoma). It isn’t melting; temperatures will reach only 22 degrees during the day, with 25 mph wind gusts.
Sunday night/Monday: The skies will start to clear, but you do not want to be outside. Temperatures will be in the single digits — around 8 in central Fort Worth — with gusty winds making it feel like -5 to -15. Monday’s now looking to remain below freezing with a high around 28 degrees and a low of 11 overnight into Tuesday.
(We haven’t talked much about Tuesday yet, when the afternoon highs will break through the freezing mark, but Tuesday morning wind chills might be -5 to 5 degrees).
Later: Just when we’re getting back to normal, we *may* be looking at another “potential winter weather maker” next weekend. The outlook is unclear, but it’ll be nothing like this winter storm. In true Texas fashion, it may be here and gone within a day.
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 6:02 PM.
