DALLAS — This story is from Wednesday, Feb. 2. Go here for WFAA's latest liveblog on the wintry weather.
North Texas is under a winter storm warning Wednesday, as a system expected to bring sleet, ice and snow moves into the region.
While the storm is not expected to be as severe as last year's February freeze, temperatures will still drop below freezing for an extended period of time, and wintry precipitation is likely to cause travel issues across North Texas.
Several school districts have already canceled classes for Thursday, and some for Friday, too. Southwest Airlines is suspending operations Thursday at Dallas Love Field, ahead of the storm.
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.
Here are the latest updates:
Reports of power outages roll in
Power outages are beginning to pop up on the Oncor outage map. Although we are not expecting widespread outages due to issues with the power grid, there is still a possibility for outages from ice accumulations on powerlines and tree branches.
As of 11:40 p.m. Wednesday, there are nearly 20,500 customers without power.
Here are the number of outages being reported in some North Texas counties:
Dallas - 3,710
Denton - 5
Collin - 8,996
Tarrant - 936
There are also reports of outages in Sachse between State HWY 78 and Murphy Road, and on Murphy Road between State HWY 78 and Blackburn Road.
You can track outages here: stormcenter.oncor.com
Dallas judge files disaster declaration
Dallas Judge Clay Jenkins shared that he has I filed a disaster declaration because of the expected icy roads in the morning through Friday.
"This will speed help to first responders in the event our supplies or personnel are overstretched," Jenkins tweeted.
Temperatures fall below freezing
Around 7 p.m. Wednesday, temps fell to the freezing mark in D-FW.
This means any rain that is falling will start to become freezing rain. That's where rain will turn to ice on exposed surfaces now that is it at or below freezing.
Freezing rain will continue to fall in and around D-FW possibly mixing with sleet before midnight.
Here's a look at what some of our crews are seeing across the Metroplex.
City of Arlington to close public facilities, services Thursday
Arlington’s public facilities - including city hall, municipal court, libraries, parks, recreation centers/facilities and water utilities south service center - will be closed Thursday, Feb. 3 due to the winter weather. Arlington Animal Services will be closed Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. However, staff will be onsite to care for animals in the shelter. The Housing Authority of the City of Arlington office will also be closed.
All essential city services will be operational Thursday, including public safety, 9-1-1 emergency call center, street and water crews.
Denton Municipal Electric ready to mobilize plan formulated after February 2021 winter storm
Denton Municipal Electrical put together a plan that will help them deal with potential power outages across the city over the next few days.
One of the first things they did was to make sure their utility trucks are running.
They've also stocked up on both ground capacitors so they can replace any blown out during the storm.
DME learned from last year that ice on powerlines caused most of the problems, so they want to hear about power outages as soon as possible.
Finally, starting at 10 p.m., DME crews will do 16 hour shifts.
RELATED: Denton city leaders shares weather plan to help deal with possible power outages in winter storm
Oncor, first responder crews are in place and on stand-by in Dallas
The City of Dallas council wrapped up a meeting earlier this evening to give an update on the city's storm preparation.
The city says Oncor crews are in place throughout Dallas in case power is lost anywhere, and all the prep work is complete.
Dallas Fire Rescue and DPD are also ready to go, as needed.
There are also extra crews on hand to handle any technical or mechanical issues that could arise.
Latest forecast, as of Wednesday night
As of late Wednesday night, the forecast has not changed, though temps have officially drop below freezing.
The freezing line around 4 p.m. Thursday was near Bowie, northwest of Dallas-Fort Worth.
To the counties to our west and northwest, there was wintry mix and some snow starting to develop.
The Winter Storm Watch that was in effect for most of North Texas was upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning.
Travel will be difficult, especially on bridges and overpasses. Ice accumulations and gusty winds on utility lines could cause power disruptions. Cold wind chills could result in hypothermia if precautions are not taken.
Watch WFAA's latest forecast from Wednesday afternoon:
Live Radar
Watch live radar coverage here:
ERCOT: Some natural gas providers will reduce supply
Officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) say they've received notice from natural gas providers of "some instances" of reduction in supply in the North Texas area, though energy experts don't anticipate a major impact on the statewide power grid.
The reductions, known as curtailments, are expected to result in a loss of energy reserves between 1,200 and 2,600 megawatts, according to ERCOT.
Power generators that are impacted by the curtailments "will be able to use alternative fuels stored onsite or use alternative pipelines," ERCOT officials told WFAA.
While the impact of the loss in megawatts remained unclear Wednesday, 1,200-2,600 megawatts can power anywhere between 60,000-520,000 homes at peak demand, according to estimates on ERCOT's website and an energy expert.
Still, ERCOT officials have remained confident in the state power grid, saying Wednesday that the grid remained "strong" heading into the winter storm.
Latest on DFW Airport and Love Field
The vast majority of flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport were being cancelled for Thursday, as winter weather moved into North Texas. At Love Field, Southwest Airlines suspended all operations for Thursday.
While Southwest cancelled Thursday flights, Love Field will remain open, officials said
At DFW, airport officials on Wednesday were "watching closely the weather event" that could impact North Texas this week.
"Airport operations is prepared to treat all roads and bridges on Airport property to ensure the safety of customers and employees and also is prepared to keep the airfield and runways clear at all times," DFW officials said in a statement. "DFW encourages customers to monitor the weather closely and allow extra time to get to the Airport."
All TEXpress managed lanes closed
The Texas Department of Transportation is closing all TEXpress managed toll lanes due to the incoming winter storm. The managed lanes are being closed "so that we can focus our efforts and resources on the main lanes of travel," TEXpress officials said.
TEXpress has managed lanes along several major highways in North Texas, including Interstate 30, Texas 114, Interstate 635 and Interstate 35E.
County and city office closures
Dallas County offices and courts will be closed for in-person operations on Thursday and Friday.
A host of other city and county offices are also closed Thursday and Friday: Mansfield, Farmers Branch, Denton County and Westlake. Collin County offices will be closed on Thursday but no decision has been made for Friday. Check with your local county or city office for the latest information on closures.
Reunion Tower going dark to save power
Reunion Tower officials said the tower will go dark Wednesday through Friday morning to help conserve power.
Reunion was not asked to go dark; tower officials said they proactively decided to turn off the lights to do "its part to not use unnecessary power" during the winter storm.
DART suspends rail service
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is suspending all rail services from Thursday through Sunday afternoon, due to the expected winter weather. TRE is running as scheduled.
Bus routes will still operate but do so on a Sunday schedule, which means various routes will be changed.
DART's winter weather plans will also include shuttle bus routes between rail stations. DART's adjusted schedule and shuttle bus routes can be viewed here.
Trinity Metro adjusts schedule ahead of storm
Trinity Metro, the bus and train system that services Fort Worth and Tarrant County, is adjusting its schedule for Thursday. Trinity Metro will operate on a Saturday schedule with various route changes.
Also, the downtown Molley the Trolley will not be in service Thursday.
Parkland announces closures at clinics
Parkland Health in Dallas is closing all of its clinics and health centers, including certain vaccination clinics, on Thursday and Friday because of the winter storm, but the main hospital will remain open.
The clinics affected by the closures include:
- Community Oriented Primary Care health centers (COPCs)
- Acute Response Clinics (ARCs)
- Women’s Health Centers
- Youth & Family clinics
- Moody Outpatient Clinics
- Hospital-based outpatient specialty clinics
- Ron J. Anderson, MD Clinics
- Homeless outreach locations (HOMES)
- Comprehensive Breast Center
- Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic
Patients who have appointments at these clinics will be contacted by Parkland to reschedule.
Parkland is also closing two vaccination clinics on Saturday at the Nathanial Hawthorne Elementary and Shiloh Church locations. The Hawthorne clinic has been rescheduled for Feb. 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Shiloh Church clinic will be rescheduled for Feb. 26,from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
ERCOT update on the power grid
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a winter weather watch through Sunday, as it forecasts a "high energy demand for the duration of the winter weather."
“ERCOT is using all the tools available to manage the grid effectively during this winter weather,” ERCOT's interim CEO Brad Jones said in a news release Wednesday.
Jones and other state energy officials have remained confident that the state power grid will be able to withstand this week's freezing temperatures and icy weather in North Texas.
Even so, Jones said Texans should be prepared for local outages if ice and tree limbs fall on power lines.
“While grid conditions remain strong with enough capacity, our weather forecasts show there is potential for significant frozen precipitation behind this week’s cold front,” Jones said. “With frozen precipitation there is always a chance for local outages caused by things like ice on wires or fallen tree limbs. These local outages are not related to the amount of available electricity generated and put on the grid. Texans should contact their utility in the event they experience a localized outage.”
School closings
Many school districts are monitoring the situation and are preparing to adjust their plans for the upcoming school days. And several have already planned to cancel classes on Thursday, including the Dallas Independent School District. The Fort Worth Independent School District on Wednesday morning announced it will cancel classes on Thursday and Friday.
Other districts are planning to cancel in-person learning but continue virtual learning.
For a full list of school closures, go to wfaa.com/closings.
Flight cancellations
As of Wednesday morning, flights weren't being impacted too much in North Texas, though that was expected to increase throughout the day.
There were three reported delays at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and 124 cancellations. At Love Field, there was one reported delay and 54 cancellations.
How Dallas is preparing
The City of Dallas will open its emergency operations center at noon Wednesday as a winter storm approaches North Texas.
On Tuesday, as a new storm was inching closer, even the director of the office of emergency management for the city of Dallas admitted to feeling “anxiety.”
“But we are much better prepared than we were last year,” said Rocky Vaz. “We do not expect this event to be the same magnitude we saw last year.”
Vaz said Oncor, the largest electricity provider to North Texas homes, is most concerned about ice causing power outages in neighborhoods.
Iced over tree branches could fall and take down power lines, or lines themselves could experience ice accumulations.
“We do not anticipate any large-scale citywide power outages that we saw last February, but we have contingency planning and we are prepared to deal with that if that does happen,” Vaz said.
