As North Texas nears its fourth day of icy conditions and freezing temperatures, the National Weather Service advises people to continue staying off the roads.
Despite some ice melting Wednesday, road conditions are still dangerous, and could potentially worsen overnight, said Hunter Reeves, a meteorologist with the weather service at its Fort Worth office.
“It’s like an ice rink out there right now,” Reeves said. He added that areas that appear to be melting will freeze over again when the sun sets.
Officials also urge people to stay home if possible. While conditions may improve Thursday afternoon, roads likely won’t make a full recovery until Friday, when the sun comes out.
An ice storm warning was issued for the western part of the region on Tuesday but expanded to include more of the region early Wednesday. Freezing rain and ice build up will be most significant in the areas west of and along the I-35 corridor, the weather service said.
The upgraded warning is due to the half inch of additional ice accumulation expected Wednesday afternoon through the next morning. The ice can freeze on trees, power lines, and roads causing major impacts.
Elsewhere in North and Central Texas remained under a winter storm warning.
Schools and businesses continued to close, flights were canceled or delayed again, and mail delivery was halted Tuesday and Wednesday.
Freezing rain and sleet were forecasted for Dallas all day Wednesday with a high near 32 and low around 30. An early morning freezing rain on Thursday would become rain after 10 a.m., according to the weather service, with a high near 37 and low around 31.
8:30 p.m.: Outages persist in parts of East and Central Texas
As of 8:30 p.m., Oncor’s outage map showed that more than 61,827 of its customers in areas just northeast of Austin and Waco area were still without power.
Additionally, Austin Energy’s outage map showed that more than 30 percent of its customers were affected by outages in the state’s capital city. Downed power lines caused most of the outages in Austin, according to an Austin American-Statesman report, and many people may not have power until Thursday.
In East Texas, Oncor’s outage map showed that more than 50,000 customers were dealing with outages in Tyler and Athens.
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8 p.m.: Arlington officials announce delayed openings, operations
In a news release Wednesday evening, Arlington officials said some of the city’s public facilities will open at noon Thursday because of the winter storm.
All scheduled openings and operations are subject to change depending on road conditions, officials said.
Essential city services, such as emergency dispatch, street and water work crews will operate Thursday. Trash and recycling collection will start at noon, along with Handitran and Via transportation services.
The city will not pick up recycling from residential areas Thursday, the release said.
Additionally, the public health unit at the city’s fire department will be closed, and is expected to resume operations at 9 a.m. Friday, according to the release.
5:45 p.m.: Airlines continue to monitor weather, hope for improvement
With thousands of flights called off Wednesday, Southwest and American Airlines hope slightly warmer temperatures forecasted for Thursday afternoon will begin to ease disruptions for travelers across the country.
Dallas Love Field employees are working to treat its runways and walkways to brace for continued extreme weather, the airport’s marketing manager said.
A Southwest spokesman added that operational managers are continuing to monitor the weather and make necessary adjustments. He encouraged travelers to check their flight status on Southwest.com or through the app.
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[54/54] A Southwest flight arrives at the Dallas Love Field in Dallas on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.(Lola Gomez / Staff Photographer)
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[1/54] A person drives a four wheeler with other motorist through downtown, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Dallas. Freezing rain was experienced across the DFW area.(Rebecca Slezak / Staff Photographer)
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[2/54] Cars drive down US-75 despite the icy road conditions, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Dallas. Freezing rain was experienced across the DFW area.(Rebecca Slezak / Staff Photographer)
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[3/54] An American Airlines aircraft taxis past empty United Airlines gates at Terminal E on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, at DFW Airport. Three-fourths of Wednesday’s scheduled flights from DFW International Airport were canceled as disruptions from the third day of a winter storm continued.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[4/54] Crews clear ice from the Bush Turnpike near Preston Road on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Plano. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Thursday.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[5/54] An American Airlines aircraft undergoes deicing procedures on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, at DFW Airport. Three-fourths of Wednesday’s scheduled flights from DFW International Airport were canceled as disruptions from the third day of a winter storm continued.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[6/54] Icicles hang from a car in the parking lot of Terminal C at DFW Airport on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Thursday.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[7/54] Kelsey Vining sleds down an icy sidewalk while getting a pull from family dog Mr Riggins on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Richardson. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Thursday.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[8/54] Astrid Pham, 3, of Grand Prairie, gets a ride from her grandmother Thu Pham as they head for a security checkpoint at Terminal C on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, at DFW Airport. Three-fourths of Wednesday’s scheduled flights from DFW International Airport were canceled as disruptions from the third day of a winter storm continued. The Pham family’s flight to San Jose was still on schedule.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[9/54] Passengers line up at an American Airlines customer service desk at Terminal C on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, at DFW Airport. Three-fourths of Wednesday’s scheduled flights from DFW International Airport were canceled as disruptions from the third day of a winter storm continued.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[10/54] A flight status board show multiple cancelled flights at Terminal C on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, at DFW Airport. Three-fourths of Wednesday’s scheduled flights from DFW International Airport were canceled as disruptions from the third day of a winter storm continued.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[11/54] A traveler looks out a window at an American Airlines airplane at Terminal C on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, at DFW Airport. Three-fourths of Wednesday’s scheduled flights from DFW International Airport were canceled as disruptions from the third day of a winter storm continued.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[12/54] Garland Rd covered by sleet in Dallas on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Dallas metroplex woke up this morning with more sleet and freezing rain creating very dangerous conditions for motorists on the roads. The Ice Storm Warning remains in effect until 9 AM CST Thursday.(Lola Gomez / Staff Photographer)
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[13/54] Angel Muniz, Carnales Off Road club member, watches his mirror as he tows a car stuck on an icy residential street in northwest Dallas, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)
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[14/54] Cars drive across an icy bridge over Northwest Highway on Skillman Street in Dallas on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. A half inch of additional ice accumulation is expected Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning.(Liesbeth Powers / Staff Photographer)
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[15/54] A plane with Delta Air Lines takes off at Dallas Love Field Airport in Dallas on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Two-thirds of planned departures from Dallas Love Field were called off on Wednesday, according to flight tracking site Flightaware.com. (Liesbeth Powers / Staff Photographer)
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[16/54] A plane with Southwest Airlines sits at one of the terminals at Dallas Love Field Airport in Dallas on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Two-thirds of planned departures from Dallas Love Field were called off, according to flight tracking site Flightaware.com. (Liesbeth Powers / Staff Photographer)
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[17/54] Ice sits along the curbside of Dallas Love Field Airport in Dallas on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Two-thirds of planned departures from the airport were called off on Wednesday, according to flight tracking site Flightaware.com. (Liesbeth Powers / Staff Photographer)
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[18/54] Travelers wait in line to speak with Southwest Airlines agents at the airline’s ticket counter at Dallas Love Field Airport in Dallas on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Two-thirds of planned departures from all airlines at the airport were called off on Wednesday, according to flight tracking site Flightaware.com. (Liesbeth Powers / Staff Photographer)
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[19/54] A car takes a ramp onto U.S. 75 in Dallas on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. A half inch of additional ice accumulation is expected Wednesday afternoon through the next morning.(Liesbeth Powers / Staff Photographer)
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[20/54] A truck spreads sand on US-75 near Renner Road on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Richardson. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Thursday. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[21/54] A motorist drives up an icy on ramp to the Margaret McDermott Bridge on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Dallas. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Thursday. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[22/54] A City of Dallas truck spread sand on South Akard Street on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Dallas. Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm warning through Thursday. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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[23/54] Traffic on westbound Interstate 30 is light during the rush-hour after a band of sleet dropped about 2 inches earlier in the day in Arlington, Texas, January 31, 2023.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
5 p.m.: Power outages widespread elsewhere in Texas
According to Oncor’s outage map, North Texans weren’t affected by power outages nearly as much as those in other parts of the state.
As of 4:45 p.m. 105,000 Oncor customers were experiencing outages. Of those, just about 190 were in Dallas Fort-Worth.
The outage map also showed that more than 46,000 Oncor customers near Tyler were affected by outages. In areas just northeast of Austin, including Waco, more than 60,000 customers were without power Wednesday afternoon.
Additionally, Austin Energy’s outage map showed more than 160,000 customers in the state’s capital were without power.
4 p.m.: Emergency crews respond to crashes, hypothermia
Jason Evans, a Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman, said emergency crews were dispatched to 14 crashes as of 3:45 p.m. Wednesday. Between Monday and early Tuesday, the department responded to 286 crashes.
The department saw a decrease in the number of crashes on Wednesday, but still responded to dozens of reports of people slipping on ice. Dallas Fire-Rescue has been dispatched to eight emergency calls related to weather conditions.
Matt Zavadsky, a spokesman for MedStar, which provides emergency care and transport in the Fort Worth area, thanked residents for staying off of the roads.
Between 3:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, MedStar reported four crashes that led to one person being transported to the hospital — a significant decrease from Monday, when emergency crews responded to more than nearly 120 crashes.
Three people in the Fort Worth area were hospitalized Wednesday because of hypothermia, according to MedStar. Two people were in serious condition, the department said.
As of 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, MedStar transported 15 people to hospitals for hypothermia. Of those, nine have been serious cases, according to the department.
11 a.m.: Ice expected to melt in a couple days
Most of the ice that’s accumulated at the start of the week should be gone by end of day Friday, according to meteorologists with the weather service.
Ice needs above-freezing temperatures for an extended period of time in order to melt, and the sun’s energy is helpful with speeding the process along.
Roads are expected to improve but still remain a little icy Thursday afternoon, after the ice storm warning is lifted and temperatures rise to the mid 30s. By Friday, the sun will be shining and the temperatures will be in the upper 40s, meaning the ice should finally melt.
10:26 a.m.: DFW cancels more than two-thirds of its flights
Many travelers flying out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Wednesday will likely have their plans disrupted due to a third day of icy conditions in North Texas.
More than two-thirds of Wednesday’s scheduled flights at DFW have been canceled, and more than half of flights at Love Field have been scrapped.
Texas airports — including DFW, Love Field and Austin-Bergstrom International — are leading the nation in canceled flights.
This winter storm marks D-FW’s third year in a row of ice storms and snow around this time of year. About one year ago, airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights due to extreme weather conditions.
Travelers should check with their airlines about the status of other flights planned Wednesday or Thursday.
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9:26 a.m.: Dallas facilities remained closed
Ice and sleet have led all Dallas city facilities to be closed to the public Wednesday, including City Hall, libraries, recreation centers and the municipal court.
Garbage and recycling collections have also been canceled for the second day in a row due to road conditions, city officials said. It’s not immediately clear as of Wednesday morning when sanitation pickups will resume.
8:27 a.m.: USPS making ‘every effort to deliver’
The U.S. Postal Service said mail and package delivery for residences and businesses will resume normal as of Wednesday morning, a day after services were halted due to the weather.
USPS says it will continue to monitor weather conditions that may impact services.
“Letter carriers will make every effort to deliver their routes if it is safe to do so,” the announcement said. “The Postal Service continues to monitor conditions around the clock.”
USPS retail operations are open in North Texas, although hours at some stores may be modified.
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7:06 a.m.: Power outages
More than 52,600 people were without power Wednesday morning throughout Texas, according to live data from Oncor. There were 1,189 outages.
If an uptick in power outages Wednesday night and Thursday did occur, majority of the issues would likely be from ice causing tree branches to break onto powerlines, the national weather service said.
Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, which manages most of the state’s electricity grid, said Monday that it “expects sufficient generation to meet forecasted demand.”
Gov. Greg Abbott reiterated the sentiment in a Tuesday news conference saying the “power grid is functioning just fine as we speak.”
6:44 a.m.: Trinity Metro halts services
Trinity Metro, a public transit agency serving Tarrant County, said it suspended all bus and ZIPZONE services for Wednesday.
Trinity Metro TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express, the TRE, will still operate but passengers may experience delays.
6:08 a.m.: DART pauses streetcar service
DART, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, announced its would not operate its streetcar service Wednesday due to the weather. The streetcar runs from downtown Dallas to Oak Cliff.
Its rail lines and bus routes continued operation but were experiencing “significant delays.”
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6 a.m.: Missing child found in Dallas
A 9-year-old boy reported missing from a far northeast Dallas neighborhood was found early Wednesday.
He was last seen Tuesday night around 10:45 p.m. on foot, when the weather was continuing to ice over.
5 a.m.: Icy roads
In Fort Worth, MedStar crews responded to 17 motor vehicle crashes between 3 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. Wednesday. Two were rollover crashes.
In a 48-timeframe since 5 a.m. Monday, MedStar responded to 168 crashes, 21 of which were rollovers. Crews also responded to 14 patients for hypothermia, 12 were taken to hospitals with seven of them in serious condition. Fifteen people were injured from slipping on ice.
Crews will also continue to suspend their use of lights and sirens “out of an abundance of caution” to prevent additional crashes from motorists moving out of the way for ambulances, according to MedStar.
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[28/28] Cesar Montoya of Integrity Porter and Services salts a walkway outside a Fiesta Mart in Northeast Dallas, Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Several North Texas school districts canceled classes for Tuesday as wintry weather made roads icy and dangerous.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)
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