Temperatures may drop in DFW and surrounding areas to as low as -20 degrees today.
While snow in Texas is usually a delight – a rare opportunity for Texans to build snow men, chuck snow balls, and makeshift sleds – a combination of traffic pile-ups, icy roads, business closures, and severe wind chill throws a bucket of cold water on the whole experience. Now, with hundreds of thousands experiencing power outages and forecasters expecting colder weather, Dallas is preparing for more.
Early yesterday morning, Dallas saw its first flurry of snow. Unfortunately, the snowfall came amidst a Winter Storm Warning that was issued noon that same day. Due to the severe weather, officials suspended DART public transit, cancelled and delayed hundreds of flights, closed vaccine clinics, government offices, roads, and schools. Additionally, officials called on the public to conserve energy, as too much stress would cause the system to overload. At this moment, hundreds of thousands of Texans are presently experiencing power outages as a result.
For those who still have power, officials recommend keeping the thermostat at 68 degrees or below, unplugging and turning off unnecessary appliances or electronics, and drawing the blinds and shades to reduce heat loss until Tuesday.
While the Winter Storm Warning will have been lifted by the publication of this article, the National Weather Service has issued a wind chill warning for DFW areas with temperatures dropping to as low as -20 degrees on Monday, and -15 degrees on Tuesday.
“Dangerous wind chills are expected for the entire region through Wednesday morning,” the service writes on its website. “Another winter storm will arrive Tuesday night and bring wintry mix and snow to the region. Significant ice accumulations are possible over Central Texas with significant snow accumulation over North Texas. This will fall on already snow packed areas, only worsening any impacts from yesterday/last night’s system.”
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