DALLAS — A winter storm moved through North Texas on Thursday and left behind blankets of snow and ice, as well as dangerously cold temperatures.
Although the precipitation ended Thursday afternoon, residents woke up Friday morning to hazardous road conditions due to temperatures causing ice to refreeze.
Roads were still icy on Friday afternoon, but some areas in the sun began to turn to slush. Still, temperatures were expected to plummet again Friday night, and the National Weather Service issued a hard freeze warning through Saturday morning for parts of North Texas.
Keep checking back here for the latest updates from across North Texas.
Latest forecast
A mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain created slick roads on Thursday. That precipitation has left the area, but the coldest air of the season has arrived.
By Friday morning, all of North Texas saw temperatures in the mid to low teens.
A wind chill advisory was in effect Friday morning, as wind chills were expected between -5 to 5 degrees.
A hard freeze warning is now in effect until 9 a.m. Saturday. Lows are expected to be in the single digits to low teens.
WFAA will have continuous coverage on WFAA.com and the WFAA app. Also be sure to watch Chief Meteorologist Pete Delkus' latest forecast updates each evening at 5, 6 and 10.
Watch WFAA Chief Meteorologist Pete Delkus' latest forecast from Friday evening:
Road conditions on Friday
Watch road conditions from throughout the day here:
Road conditions improved Friday thanks to the sun and above-freezing temperatures. However, we aren't out of the woods just yet.
Temperatures will drop below freezing again Friday night and into Saturday morning, which will refreeze any leftover ice on roads and streets.
Expect road conditions to improve further on Saturday, with high temps forecasted to be in the 40s.
Early Friday, there were issues being reported on roads across North Texas, especially on bridges and overpasses. Fort Worth police reported that Texas 183 at Vickery Boulevard was covered in ice.
Around 7:45 a.m., McKinney police shut down northbound U.S. 75 at Wilmeth due to a jacknifed 18-wheeler. Police said conditions remained "extremely dangerous" in the area.
Traffic began to pick up by midday, and temperatures in some areas of North Texas, in the sun, climbed just above freezing. Still, many roads, especially side streets, appeared to be covered in ice.
DFW Airport now operating 6 runways
In a statement Friday night, DFW Airport said it is now operation six runways as it continues to approach full operation capacity.
Travelers out of DFW should still expect delays and some cancellations as winter storm conditions continue to impact operations.
Dallas County COVID-19 testing sites to reopen Saturday
COVID-19 testing sites in Dallas County that are normally opened on Saturdays will be in operation at regular hours, according to the county's health department.
A list of these locations can be found below:
Closures, delays persist into Saturday
- The Dallas Arboretum said it will remain closed on Saturday, Feb. 5. It will reopen on Sunday Feb. 6.
- Meanwhile, UT Arlington said it will only be open from 2 - 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5. It will open at noon Sunday, Feb. 6. The school added that all main campus and UTA Fort Worth Center classes scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 5 will be held online regardless of the start time.
- Also, the City of Richardson facilities will continue to operate on a modified schedule this weekend due to severe winter weather. Cleanup of fallen trees at parks should get underway next week, with street sweepers expected to begin the process of removing sand from roadways Sunday night. All facilities are expected to resume normal operating hours on Monday, Feb. 7. Solid waste collection should also resume at that time. Click here for more info.
- Plano ISD has canceled or postponed all student activities for Saturday. More information can be found online.
- Lewisville city facilities normally open to the public on Saturdays will have a delayed opening of 11 a.m. on Feb. 5. The delayed opening includes Thrive recreation center, Lewisville Public Library, Lewisville Grand Theater, and outdoor facilities.
Garland facilities resume normal operations
After earlier deciding to cancel all operations on Saturday, the City of Garland said its facilities will resume normal operating schedules this weekend, citing the improving weather conditions.
The Parks & Recreation Department’s Sweetheart Dance will continue as scheduled. Check with individual departments if you have questions about other activities.
Collection of trash, recycling, and brush and bulky items will resume Saturday, Feb. 5, beginning with Thursday’s routes. Friday’s routes will be picked up Monday, Feb. 7.
TEXpress Lanes still closed
As of 2 p.m., TEXpress said lanes will remain closed to drivers until further notice.
Tarrant Area Food Bank to host emergency food distribution event
Because of the recent winter storm, it has been a challenge to get food out to families in need across our 13-county service area. To support our partner agencies and families in need, TAFB will host a special emergency distribution on Sunday, Feb. 6, from 2 - 4 p.m. at the TAFB Distribution Center in Fort Worth.
Trinity Metro suspends all bus service
Trinity Metro is suspending all bus service for the remainder of Friday, Feb. 4, and all day Saturday, Feb. 5. Trinity Metro said it will continue to evaluate conditions for operations on Sunday, Feb. 6.
TEXRail will continue to operate on its regular schedule throughout the weekend. Trinity Railway Express (TRE) is operating on a Saturday schedule on Friday. TRE will resume its regular schedule on Saturday.
Customer care representatives are available at 817-215-8600 to assist those who need it.
Texas power grid hits peak demand
Gov. Greg Abbott and state energy officials said the state power grid reached peak demand earlier Friday, at about 69,000 megawatts. That's around the same demand as last year's February storm, though the state had more than 10,000 megawatts in reserve this time around and no major issues to the grid.
Watch Abbott's update here:
Parkland closes two health centers
Parkland Health is closing two community health centers Saturday: The deHaro-Saldivar Health Center, 1440 N. Westmoreland Road in Dallas; and Garland Health Center, 802 Hopkins Street in Garland.
The closures are a result of icy roads across North Texas. While some roadways were clearing Friday, they were expected to re-freeze overnight.
Parkland will contact affected patients to reschedule. Parkland had previously announced the cancellation of two vaccine clinics Saturday: Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary School and Shiloh Church, in Dallas and Garland respectively.
DART suspends all services
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will suspend all services at noon Friday through noon Sunday due to "untenable" road conditions in the area.
Passengers who need emergency service should contact the DART Customer Information Center at (214) 979-1111, according to a DART news release.
The precipitation from this week's storm moved out of North Texas on Thursday but freezing temps have kept roads slick and icy across the region.
Latest on power outages
Power outages were reported throughout North Texas and some parts of Central and East Texas. Oncor said the peak number of customers without power was 34,000 on Thursday morning, with a majority of those (24,000) in the D-FW area.
As of 8 p.m. Friday, there were around 5,600 customers without power, according to Oncor's outage map.
The outages have been localized and not related to the Texas power grid, officials said.
Track the latest outages here.
The Dallas animal shelter is full
City officials say the Dallas animal shelter is full due to the cold weather and emergency calls for animals stuck in the cold. Dallas Animal Services is asking for the community's help in adopting and fostering animals.
“The ice and snow couldn’t have come at a worse time,” DAS Director MeLissa Webber said. “It really has created the perfect storm at DAS. We are currently at capacity for medium and large dogs. We have close to 400 pets at our shelter, and we expect to take in dozens more in the coming days. Without additional support from our community, we’re going to be faced with some very difficult euthanasia decisions, which we all desperately want to avoid.”
Adoptions can be made at the city's main shelter, 1818 North Westmoreland Road, or at the PetSmart Everyday Adoption Center, 16821 North Coit Road, once it's safe to drive on roads in Dallas.
Dallas Love Field plans to resume operations Friday
After suspending operations Thursday due to the weather, officials told WFAA that Dallas Love Field expects to resume operations Friday.
The airport was open on Thursday and had staff on site, but it did not have any commercial flights. Officials said staff members kept the runways clean and operating.
In a statement, Southwest Airlines said its plan is to operate at a "reduced schedule" on Friday.
Boil water notice for city of Commerce
The city of Commerce in Hunt County has issued a boil water notice "until further notice." The city said this is due to low water pressure conditions.
Texas A&M University-Commerce said in a tweet that most of its buildings are on a separate water system.
According to the university, the buildings that are part of the boil water notice are: Prairie Crossing, the Welcome Center, Rayburn Student Center and Henderson Hall.
The city said pressure is being restored but the water quality will need to be tested before the notice can be lifted.
Garland facilities will remain closed; trash collection suspended
All City of Garland offices and public facilities will remain closed Friday, Feb. 4. Trash, recycling, and brush and bulky item collection will be suspended for Friday and is expected to resume Saturday, Feb. 5, if road conditions allow. Thursday’s routes would be picked up first. Friday’s routes would be picked up Monday, Feb. 7.
