Cold weather and icy conditions blanketing North Texas are likely to continue into Thursday morning as the National Weather Service extends its winter storm warning.
The warning, originally set for last Monday through Wednesday, is now set to expire at 6 a.m. Thursday.
The storm, which brought freezing rain, sleet and ice to the region’s roads on Monday, forced schools and businesses to close at least until Tuesday, canceled flights from DFW and Love Field airports and sent cars sliding on highways.
“Widespread icing is expected on bridges and overpasses as well as roads, with travel significantly affected,” the weather service said. “There is a small chance of downed power lines and tree damage due to ice.”
Live radar can be seen below, along with the latest updates from reporters on The Dallas Morning News:
8:49 am: Business as usual in some places
The Kroger on E. Mockingbird Lane was open for business despite icy roads around it Tuesday morning. The parking lot was a mixture of slush and freshly fallen freezing rain.
About a dozen customers filed through the aisles, grabbing last-minute food and essentials when the intercom message rang out: “Attn staff: Please report to Starbucks for free coffee.”
The nearby 7/11 on the corner of Greenville Avenue was also open for customers who needed to fill up on coffee or gas.
7:45 a.m.: Thundersleet begins moving through D-FW
Just after 7:30 a.m., the National Weather Service said a “moderate band” of snow was beginning to move across the metroplex, in addition to areas both west and east.
The weather service said it expects a few isolated thunderstorms with sleet and freezing rain to continue throughout the morning, adding that sleet accumulations will “average a quarter of an inch, with isolated amounts up to an inch.”
“This will lead to icy roads and treacherous driving conditions,” the Met Office said.
In the Hollywood-Santa Monica neighborhood of East Dallas, on the outskirts of Lakewood, the “thunder drought” began raining at 7:50 a.m. so hard that in three minutes, roads and rooftops went from completely clear to covered in white.
Like Dallas Morning News columnist Sharon Grigsby described the scene: “It sounded like glass breaking on the roof.”
6am: Icy roads
North Texas residents were urged to stay home during the storm if possible, but Dallas city officials said for those who still have to commute, TxDOT crews are on 24-hour shifts. to handle roads and highways.
Madison Schein, spokeswoman for TxDOT Dallas, said people who need to drive should plan routes in advance and look for information at drivetexas.org.
“We started pre-treating roads with brine a few days ago and are continuing with brine,” Schein said. “We are now making a mixture of salt and sand as needed and will continue to adjust our operations as the storm moves through our area.”
The city said it will also use a mixture of salt and sand to treat roads near emergency facilities and icy bridges.
Hundreds of drivers were stuck in an hours-long traffic jam Tuesday morning on Interstate 20 in Palo Pinto and Parker counties. Traffic was backed up for at least 20 miles, KDFW-TV reported.
Traffic Alert (Parker County) I20 eastbound west of Weatherford is blocked for hours due to “treacherous conditions affecting travel,” TxDOT says. Many residents have been stuck in a traffic jam lasting 4+ hours with no relief in sight. pic.twitter.com/RnuQmhuT7k
— DFW Scanner (@DFWscanner) January 31, 2023
In the Fort Worth area, there were more than 140 reported motor vehicle collisions with reported injuries as of 5 a.m. Tuesday, including 16 were rollover crashes, according to Matt Zawadski, a MedStar spokesman.
There were also eight calls related to hypothermia, Zavadski said. Seven people required hospitalisation, five of them in a serious condition.
In addition, nine people were injured in falls from slipping on ice, Zavadski said.
“Out of an abundance of caution,” Zawadski said, MedStar suspended the use of lights and sirens as of 11:30 p.m. Monday to prevent crashes as drivers try to get out of the way of ambulances.
“An ambulance that does not arrive at the scene of an emergency is unable to help patients,” he said. “It’s better and safer to take it a little slower, make sure we get there and don’t cause any injuries on the way to the call.”
Related: Your Ultimate Guide to Winter Survival in Dallas Fort Worth
The network is expected to meet the demand
The Public Utilities Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the state’s main grid operator, said they expect the grid to be able to handle the “projected demand” caused by this week’s storm.
In a written statement Monday afternoon, Public Utilities Commission Chairman Peter Lake echoed ERCOT’s message and said people should continue to report local outages.
“Our biggest concern is the safety of power lines, especially in areas that are subject to icing,” Lake wrote. “Ice can weigh down power lines and bring down tree limbs, causing localized power outages.”
The weather warms up later in the week
The forecast calls for more sleet and freezing rain on Tuesday with temperatures around 20 degrees throughout the day. Up to half an inch of ice may accumulate.
Travel has the potential to become “life-threatening,” according to the weather service. Road conditions may improve by the afternoon, but water on roads may freeze again overnight, making conditions worse for Wednesday morning.
Those conditions continue into Wednesday before warming to 40 degrees with rain on Thursday. The weekend should be sunny with temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees.
PHOTOS: Winter weather hits Dallas-Fort Worth
[33/33] A Double Oak water tower overlooks cars moving slowly in the snow on Justin Road on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Dallas County and other parts of North Texas from Monday afternoon through Wednesday morning.( Liesbeth Powers / staff photographer)[1/33] An icy mix covers a subdivision Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, in Roanoke. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Wednesday. (Smiley N. Pool / staff photographer)[2/33] An icy mix covers Texas 114 on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, in Roanoke. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Wednesday. (Smiley N. Pool / staff photographer)[3/33] An icy mix covers the parking lot of Home Depot on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, in Roanoke. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Wednesday. (Smiley N. Pool / staff photographer)[4/33] The Bank of America Tower disappears in a mist of freezing rain as drivers drive along Elm Street in downtown Dallas, Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Several North Texas school districts canceled classes for Tuesday as winter weather made roads icy and dangerous . (Elías Valverde II / staff photographer)[5/33] A longhorn chews hay in a snow-covered field along Justin Road in Copper Canyon, near Highland Village and Double Oak, Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Dallas County and other parts of North Texas beginning Monday afternoon to Wednesday morning. (Lizbeth Powers/Staff Photographer)[6/33] Shoppers at a Costco store in Plano navigate cold rain in the parking lot Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Wednesday. (Smiley N. Pool / staff photographer)[7/33] Shoppers at a Costco store in Plano brave cold rain as they head to their cars Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Wednesday. (Smiley N. Pool / staff photographer)[8/33] People wait to board a DART train at the Baylor University Medical Center station in Dallas, Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Several North Texas school districts canceled classes for Tuesday as winter weather made roads icy and dangerous. (Elías Valverde II / staff photographer)[9/33] Cam Patty (left), 7, and Miles Alford, 11, flip off their sleds as they and Case Patty (right), 12, are pulled by Sarah and Justin Patty on an ATV across the front yard of the Patty’s home on FM 1830 in Argyle after a snowfall in North Texas on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. (Lisebeth Powers/Staff Photographer)[10/33] Case Patty (front), 12, looks ahead as Cam Patty (middle), 7, hangs back and Miles Alford, 11, runs to catch up to their sleds being pulled by Sarah and Justin Patty on ATVs across the front yard of Patty’s home along FM 1830 in Argyle after a snowfall in North Texas on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. (Lisbeth Powers/Staff Photographer)[11/33] An icy mix covers Texas 114 on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, in Roanoke. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Wednesday. (Smiley N. Pool / staff photographer)[12/33] Hazardous driving conditions force the closure of the Bush Freeway ramp to IH-35E on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, in Dallas. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Wednesday. (Smiley N. Pool / staff photographer)[13/33] Cesar Montoya of Integrity Porter and Services salt a path outside the Fiesta Mart in Northeast Dallas, Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Several North Texas school districts canceled classes for Tuesday as winter weather made roads icy and dangerous. (Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)[14/33] Cesar Montoya of Integrity Porter and Services salt a path outside the Fiesta Mart in Northeast Dallas, Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Several North Texas school districts canceled classes for Tuesday as winter weather made roads icy and dangerous. (Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)[15/33] Shoppers at a Costco store in Plano brave cold rain as they head to their cars Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Dallas…
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