Snow, wintry mix, rain pummel North Texas but system expected to move out Friday

After several days of freezing temperatures, snow, sleet and rain fell in North Texas Thursday, bringing travel disruptions in the air and on the ground, school closures and upending a region that doesn’t often see frozen precipitation.
The disruptions are expected to continue Friday, though conditions are expected to improve later in the day.
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Meteorologists and officials also urged drivers in North Texas to exercise extreme caution Thursday evening into Friday morning, when travel could be treacherous as the winter storm is forecast hit its peak.
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On Thursday, areas along and north of Interstate 20 were expected to receive up to six inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. It also said some more northern areas, such as Sherman and Paris, could receive isolated totals of eight inches.
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“As we continue to nightfall hours, that’s when we can expect conditions — road conditions especially — to deteriorate,” Juan Hernandez, a meteorologist with the NWS, said Thursday afternoon.
The weather service said at the time that the Dallas-Fort Worth area would see the worst travel impacts with slick bridges and overpasses Thursday evening up until noon Friday. Any remaining water on the road could also refreeze Friday night — which is expected to be cold with overnight lows in the teens — and create additional challenges Saturday.
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By early Thursday afternoon, drivers in Dallas-Fort Worth had already reported at least 80 accidents, including some that required hospital visits.
“Drivers must understand that conditions are extreme and if they do have to travel, they must expect to do so at low speeds and with focused attention when they encounter road crews and fellow drivers,” said Michael Rey, a spokesperson for the North Texas Tollway Authority, which will continue treating toll roads through Friday and beyond if needed. “The entire region is one big slick spot and that will not change soon.”
On the other hand, there have been relatively few reported power problems due to the inclement weather.
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As of Thursday afternoon, Oncor reported about 1,000 customers without power across its coverage area, which contains four million customers. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, state power regulators and Gov. Greg Abbott have also said that any power outages resulting from the weather would be localized and not a result of a system failure.
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Much of the region — including Collin, Dallas, Denton, Kaufman and Tarrant counties — is expected to remain under a winter storm warning until midday Friday, according to the weather service. All wintry precipitation is forecast to move out of the region later in the day.
“As we head into the afternoon and late afternoon, everything should be mostly out towards the east and we’re not really going to be talking about snow over in our area,” said Ryann Jones, a meteorologist with NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.
Friday closures, cancellations
The winter storm in North Texas triggered a second day of school closures, as districts prioritized student safety amid ongoing hazardous weather conditions for Friday.
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Grand Prairie ISD, Coppell ISD, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, Northwest ISD, Mansfield ISD, Lewisville ISD, Carroll ISD, Arlington ISD, Allen ISD, McKinney ISD and Plano ISD on Thursday decided to close all their schools and offices again for Friday as meteorologists warned that snowfall would continue to accumulate overnight.
The University of Texas at Arlington and West Coast University’s physical campuses on Thursday also announced closures for Friday.
Similarly, Dallas County offices and courts will be closed again Friday, according to an announcement from County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins. He said cited the inclement weather and the resulting travel troubles.
Disruptions for airline travel was also expected to continue into Friday.
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On Thursday, nearly half of all flights in and out of DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field were canceled.
And by the afternoon, more than 200 Friday flights in and out of these airports have been canceled as well, though crews are still working to keep the facilities running. Passengers of canceled flights reported being rebooked on flights for Saturday.
Cotton Bowl continues as scheduled
As of Thursday afternoon, Texas and Ohio State were still set to meet as planned at AT&T Stadium for the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.
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Amid a winter storm impacting numerous North Texas counties, Cotton Bowl officials have said all week that they’ve been monitoring the weather forecast and have contingency plans in place.
Before the snow began to fall, the Cotton Bowl released a statement Tuesday saying, “We have been meeting routinely with city officials, the Director of Transportation for North Texas and the College Football Playoff. Should the forecast shift, we are prepared for all contingencies. North Texas highways are already being brined and plans are in place to assure a safe environment for everyone in and around AT&T Stadium on game day. The teams arrive tomorrow, as planned, and the 2025 CFP Semifinal at the 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic will kick off on Friday evening as scheduled.”
Both the Texas and Ohio State teams arrived to town Wednesday with no issues and were at AT&T Stadium Thursday afternoon for practice and a joint press conference featuring both head coaches.
But a large crowd is still expected to travel to Arlington for the game as well. The last Cotton Bowl, which was played between Missouri and Ohio State on Dec. 29, 2023, drew a crowd of 70,114. The game will begin 6:30 p.m. Friday evening.
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The Dallas Morning News staff contributed to this report.