DALLAS — An arctic front that's been travelling across the country reached Dallas-Fort Worth on Thursday and it's expected to keep the temps around freezing until Christmas morning.
Friday will be the coldest day during the front. Temps will keep on falling with bitter cold. Lows will be in the single digits and teens -- with wind chills below 0°!
Forecast
Click here or watch below a look at the forecast for North Texas.
Traffic
Check real-time traffic conditions at wfaa.com/traffic.
Check your flight status
Friday is expected to be the busiest travel day for DFW International Airport. But it might not happen for a bunch of people. Southwest Airlines has cancelled more than 900 flights today, and American Airlines has cancelled more than 300 of its own.
Meanwhile, Dallas Love Field says passengers should arrive two hours before their flight.
- Arrivals | Departures at Dallas-Fort Worth International
- Arrivals | Departures at Dallas Love Field
Power outages
As of 1:12 p.m. Friday, around 17,000 customers are reported to be without power across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Track any power outages from Oncor here.
Atmos Energy is asking its customers to conserve natural gas to help maintain service Friday. At this time, Atmos has not reported any outages.
Warming centers
Warming shelters will be open across North Texas to keep people out of the cold.
Around 360 cots have been set up at the former Austin Street Shelter, which is one of several sites the city of Dallas and its partners are opening during the extreme cold.
City of Fort Worth Libraries and Community Centers can be used as warming stations during normal business hours, according to the Fort Worth Office of Emergency Management.
Click here for a list of shelters in Dallas.
This story will be updated as we learn of other shelters in North Texas. If you know any, please email the location and hours to digital@wfaa.com.
Ways to help or get help
Here's a list of ways to help or get help in the North Texas area amid this cold snap.
Canceled events
The Dallas Zoo will be closed to the public during the day Friday, and Dallas Zoo Lights will be closed that night.
Enchant Dallas will also be closed for Friday night. Ticketholders can reschedule for another night through Jan. 1 or get a refund if they can't make it.
ERCOT supply and demand
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has posted graphics showing demand current demand for energy, along with how much energy is being used across the state.
You can check that chart at anytime online. Here's a link that explains what's on the ERCOT site and how to check.
The ERCOT site also has system-wide demand, combined wind and solar, real-time energy prices and more.
How does this compare to the 2021 freeze?
While these are the coldest temps we've seen since that tragic freeze, simply put, it won't be as cold and it won't be for as long.
Wintry weather looks very minimal for North Texas and Texas in general with this event.
Note: The following video was uploaded on Wednesday, Dec 21.
