It’s cold in Fort Worth. But is it one of coldest days in North Texas history?
Fort Worth has been hit with its worst winter storm in years, causing roads to ice over, bus routes to be suspended and food delivery services to temporarily shut down.
Downtown Fort Worth was hit with just over and inch of sleet and snow, and some areas in North Fort Worth saw as much as 3 inches of snow. Other areas across Texas were hit even harder, with towns in the Panhandle getting as much as 9 inches overnight.
Temperatures are also well below freezing, and they are expected to stay that way until at least midday Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The coldest point of the winter storm came in the early hours of Sunday morning when it dropped to 12 degrees.
But will the cold temperatures this weekend in the usually-warm DFW break any records for the coldest ever? Here are the coldest days ever recorded in North Texas, and where this weekend ranks in winter history.
The coldest day in Fort Worth history was in 1899
It’s cold in Fort Worth this weekend, but we still aren’t even close to the coldest day ever.
On Feb. 12, 1899, temperatures in Fort Worth reached a remarkable -8 degrees, set during the worst arctic outbreak in Texas history that became known as the Great Texas Blizzard of 1899. Wind gusts that day reached as fast as 35 mph. Dallas and Grapevine were even colder, with Dallas reaching -10 and Grapevine touching -12.
Overall, February 1899 was the second-coldest February in the contiguous United States, only behind February 1936.
The second-coldest day ever in DFW
Many current Fort Worth residents can easily recall the second-coldest day in Fort Worth’s history. It happened just five years ago, on Feb. 16, 2021, when it reached as low as -2. Temperatures stayed below freezing for nine days in a row. On Feb. 11, a 133-car pileup on I-35W resulted in six deaths and at least 65 people injured.
North Texans were also without power for a prolonged period of time that winter due to the arctic outbreak. Downtown Fort Worth got several inches of snow, and ice and sleet didn’t go away for weeks because of below-freezing temperatures.
Texas suffered a major power grid crisis during the 2021 storm. It was the worst energy infrastructure failure in state history, leading to shortages of water and food. More than 4.5 million homes and businesses were without electricity and heat for days, and more than 200 people died during the storm.
Other coldest days in North Texas history
Despite the bitter cold in Fort Worth this week, it doesn’t quite break the top five, or even top 10.
Other coldest days in DFW history include Jan. 31, 1949, when it got as low as -1; Dec. 23, 1989, when it was 0; and Jan. 18, 1930, when it also touched 0.
The longest consecutive stretch of days without temperatures going above freezing was in the winter of 1983, when temperatures stayed below 32 for 12 straight days.
Rounding out the top 10 coldest days in Forth Worth winter history are Jan. 12, 1912; Feb. 13, 1905; Feb. 8, 1933; Jan. 17, 1930; and Dec. 22, 1989. It would have to reach below zero this year for 2026 to enter the top 10 coldest days in DFW history.
The low temp is only supposed to reach 12 overnight between Sunday night and Monday morning. Still, that’s likely to set or tie the record low for Jan. 25 at 12 degrees.
This story was originally published January 25, 2026 at 10:43 AM.
