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After ice spread terrorizing conditions across roads in Dallas-Fort Worth early Thursday, a new winter storm watch is raising concerns about “near blizzard conditions” to come.
North Texans are likely to get a break from dangerous weather conditions for a while, but they could soon be struggling in slick conditions again. A round of snow could come late Sunday into Monday, and highs are not expected to get out of the 20s those days, according to the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service’s warning was sobering even after Thursday’s ice sent motorists reeling into terrifying, deadly collisions.
“Travel will become nearly impossible and could become life-threatening,” the Weather Service cautioned in a winter storm watch, adding that “near blizzard conditions” are possible with heavy, blowing snow.
The winter storm watch was issued Thursday afternoon for all of North Texas, including Dallas, Denton, Collin and Tarrant counties. The watch will be in effect from late Saturday through Monday afternoon.
How much snow the area could face remains unclear, though some forecast models point to accumulations of 3 to 7 inches, with higher totals farther north, Weather Service meteorologist Juan Hernandez said.
“In addition to the snow, winds in excess of 25-30 mph could lead to borderline blizzard conditions during the early Monday morning hours,” he said in a forecast update. “Travel during this time period is highly discouraged as any snow that falls will stick to any surface given the cold temperatures.”
It has been more than five years since Dallas-Fort Worth has faced significant snowfall. North Texas recorded 3.5 inches on March 4 and 5, 2015, according to the Weather Service. Since then, the area has occasionally seen light dustings of snow.
By Monday the region could be dealing with some of the coldest weather it has had in more than 30 years.
With lows expected to dip into the teens or single digits, wind-chill values could reach 15 below zero, according to the Weather Service.
The last time Dallas-Fort Worth recorded single-digit weather was Dec. 22, 1989, when the mercury dipped to 3 degrees.
“The next week will be full of weather hazards, and folks are urged to make plans to protect themselves and those vulnerable to extreme cold,” said Matt Stalley of the National Weather Service. “Cover any exposed pipes, ensure your pets are indoors, and any other outdoor animals have adequate shelter.”
Airport delays
DFW International Airport, American Airlines’ primary hub, was a major source of delays and cancellations Thursday in the country’s air travel system.
There were 20 cancellations by midafternoon and more than 178 delays because of the icy conditions paired with runway construction, according to the airplane tracking website Flightaware.com. The circumstances accounted for delays on about 22% of departing flights.
Dallas Love Field, home to Southwest Airlines, had seven cancellations, and 19 delays, affecting about 7% of flights.
DFW Airport CEO Sean Donohue said crews had spent the night “pre-treating” the runways and taxiways at the airport in addition to roads, with particular attention to bridges, which freeze quicker than surface roads.
COVID-19 vaccine hub closures
Several COVID-19 vaccination sites closed or delayed operations Thursday because of the inclement weather.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Thursday morning that operations at the county’s Fair Park site were canceled for the day. Late Thursday, Jenkins said the site would be open from 2 to 7 p.m. Friday and would be administering only second doses for people who had been scheduled to get them Monday to Thursday this week.
The site will close again Saturday because of inclement weather, then reopen Sunday for people who were scheduled to receive second doses Friday. The site will again be closed for weather on Monday.
Jenkins said the county would not be able to run vaccine operations if it is unsafe to travel and said that updates on vaccine operations will be sent through social media.
Tarrant County Public Health said its vaccine clinics would be open Thursday and Friday, but the county said COVID-19 testing sites would stay closed Thursday and reopen Friday.
In Denton County, vaccination appointments that were set for Thursday were being rescheduled for Friday afternoon, the county said. The shots were to be administered at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
Thursday’s appointments at Plano’s John Clark Stadium were being rescheduled, Collin County said. Patients who were affected were being contacted by Curative Medical Associates. Collin County government offices also were closed Thursday and will have a delayed 10 a.m. opening Friday.
Parkland Health & Hospital System said the vaccination sites at Ellis Davis Field House and Eastfield Community College in Mesquite would be closed Thursday through Monday. People with appointments for those locations were to go to Parkland Memorial Hospital at their scheduled time, and anyone who couldn’t make it were to be contacted by Parkland.
Testing sites at Sam Tasby Middle School in Dallas, Irving Health Center and West Dallas Multipurpose Center were staying closed Thursday through Monday, Parkland said.
Carrying on despite conditions
At SMU, students were still attending classes, though they were being cautious as they crisscrossed the campus.
“My first step out of the dorm, I slipped and ate it on the ice, so that was a great start to my morning. I’m good, though, but it was slippery,” said junior Skye Todaro.
She said one of her early morning classes was canceled, but she had a 9:30 a.m. class that was in-person. The university had sent out a notice that said as temperatures dipped, it would evaluate conditions, but students and faculty and staff members were urged to contact their professors or their supervisors if they feared they could not make it to campus safely.
At the Roly Poly sandwich shop near campus, store owner Guy Bellaver said it had been a busy morning and he was helping fill in as a delivery driver.
“There were some really nasty wrecks last night that I physically witnessed while driving, and we knew it was going to be bad,” he said. “So I told the staff that no one had to drive today unless they felt comfortable. So here I am, I’m back and forth.”
More people seemed to be relying on deliveries to avoid risky conditions themselves.
“We actually got our first order at 8:30,” Bellaver said. “Normally, they don’t come in until about 10:30, and it has been nonstop since 8.
Despite the frigid weather, Rich McGill, 31, decided to spend his morning outdoors Thursday.
He drove to the Golf Center of Arlington, a driving range with heated bays, and found the roads to be clear. His biggest worry was that the driving range wouldn’t be open.
He grew up in Philadelphia and Chicago, so he said the cold doesn’t bother him. It’s the summer heat he hates.
”When it’s cold like this and there’s a pandemic, there’s not much to do but sit at home and eat,” McGill said. “I wanted to hit some balls.”
At the Walmart on North Cockrell Hill Road in west Oak Cliff, people were busy shopping for groceries and the other basics of life — but not because of any weather-induced panic.
One shopper, Jerry Jones from Dallas, said the cold-weather blast was to be expected.
”Come through February every year,” he said as he loaded his bags into his car.
He said he planned to stay at home while the weather passed, but he’s used to that this year because of the pandemic.
Michael Webb, also of Dallas, said he wasn’t worried about the slick roads as much as he was about the other drivers on them.
”They crazy,” he said. “They don’t know how to drive out there. You’ve got to be careful.”
Webb also said he was sticking with his weekend plans, despite the forecast.
He plans to go to his part-time job, attend Mass and go about his normal life.
”Nothing special because of the weather,” he said. “It’s just cold.”