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LIVE UPDATES: Officials still urge caution as icy conditions thaw out

A person walking across a snowy Fort Worth street.
Yfat Yossifor
/
KERA
South Main Street is covered in snow during a winter storm Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Fort Worth.

Meteorologists say travel conditions will return to normal by Friday, but warn of refreezing on Thursday night.

Conditions are slowly improving across North Texas on Thursday as temperatures gradually move above freezing.

The National Weather Service still urges caution for travelers as icy slush and slick spots are still on the roads.

At least seven people in Texas died as a result of the freezing road conditions, according to the Associated Press.

"There may still be a few little sprinkles or freezing drizzle or even flurries going on behind the stuff through like the evening hours tonight," said NWS meteorologist Eric Martello. "The main concern is going to be the refreezing of any like water and slush and everything that we have on the roads."

School districts, businesses and government offices across the region have announced closures on Thursday.

Gov. Greg Abbott held a press briefing Tuesday morning and ensured that the state's electrical grid and natural gas supply "is ready and will remain reliable" throughout the course of the winter storm.

Here are more updates on how this storm is impacting North Texas:

Dallas ISD announces delayed opening on Friday while other districts remain closed — Feb. 2, 4:30 p.m.

Dallas ISD is planning to open on Friday Feb. 3 with a two hour delay.

Other districts, like Fort Worth ISD and Plano ISD are planning to announce a decision by early Friday morning.

Arlington ISD announced that it's closing all schools Friday.

Meanwhile, government offices in Dallas, Plano and Denton county plan to to reopen on-time or delayed on Friday.

— Pablo Arauz Peña, Breaking News Reporter

Airports see fewer cancellations as crews clear ice from runways — Feb. 2, 12:35 p.m.

By noon Thursday, more than 500 flights have been canceled at DFW Airport with another 34 cancellations at Dallas Love Field, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.

Lauren Rounds, spokesperson for Love Field airport, says that airlines are seeing a higher volume of passengers than in the previous two days.

"We are continuing to treat the runaway and clear off ice as the temperatures increase and the ice melts," Rounds said. "Our airline partners are doing their best to transition into normal operations as well."

A spokesperson for DFW Airport said customers should allow for extra time when planning for travel.

— Pablo Arauz Peña, Breaking News Reporter

Power outages persist throughout the region — Feb. 2, 10:40 a.m.

Oncor reports that more 158,000 customers have been impacted by power outages as of 10:15 a.m. Thursday. That includes 7,000 customers in Dallas county and 5,800 customers in Tarrant county.

Oncor spokesperson Andy Morgan says most of the impacted customers are in east, southeast and central Texas.

Morgan says repairs are still being hampered by the icy roads.

"t's taking us a little longer than normal to fix some of these outages because of the condition of the roads, particularly in rural areas," Morgan said. "With weather conditions and luckily the temperatures going up today, that'll help speed things up."

— Pablo Arauz Peña, Breaking News Reporter

A person walks across South Main Street in the snow during a winter storm Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Fort Worth.
Yfat Yossifor
/
KERA
A person walks across South Main Street in the snow during a winter storm Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Fort Worth.

Oncor customer outages spike — Feb. 1, 5:29 p.m.

Oncor reports 100,000 customers have been affected by power outages as of 5 p.m., though most of those are occurring north and northeast of the metroplex near Tyler, Athens and Sulphur Springs.

Freezing rain causes ice to accumulate on power lines or tree branches that then fall onto power lines.

Oncor spokesperson Andy Morgan says road conditions are hampering restoration efforts, and the company is bringing in about 1,000 utility workers from across the state and Oklahoma to assist in repairs.

— Toluwani Osibamowo, General Assignments Reporter

Dallas homeless shelters near capacity as city braces for refreeze — Feb. 1, 2:43 p.m.

Dallas homeless shelters are still open, but the four main locations — Austin Street Shelter, Oak Lawn United Methodist Church, Warren United Methodist Church and the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library — are all nearly at capacity. The Reverchon Recreation Center opened today as an overflow weather shelter.

Director of Homeless Solutions Christine Crossley said the city is looking for volunteers for the shelters and potential meal providers.

“I don’t think I would ever say we would ever intend to close our doors," Crossley said Wednesday. "That’s not who we are as a city, and that’s not who our partners are, so we will always find a way.”

Find a list of warming shelters across Dallas and Collin counties here.

Dallas Emergency Operations Center will remain activated at least until Thursday morning if not longer, officials say.

Although things have begun to thaw, anything that does melt will likely refreeze overnight. There is still a risk of localized power outages, so the center recommends making sure all devices are charged in preparation. Driving conditions remain treacherous.

Director of Public Works Ali Hatefi says the department’s main priorities are major roadways and intersections.

"For us, again our focus is mainly on the major roads at this point, not the local streets, unless there are some emergency response we are going to address," Hatefi said. "But not as a routine operation that we have.”

— Nathan Collins, Dallas Accountability Reporter

More schools announce closures through Thursday — Feb. 1, 12:19 p.m.

Dallas ISD announced it will close for the third straight day Thursday amid persisting winter weather conditions.

Other district closures include Little Elm, Keller and Grapevine-Colleyville ISDs.

Districts such as Fort Worth ISD will decide if campuses will close tomorrow before 4 p.m. today.

Keep up with the latest school closures here.

— Toluwani Osibamowo, General Assignments Reporter

Power outages likely as ice accumulates — Feb. 1, 10:59 a.m.

An ice storm warning has extended to Dallas and Collin counties and will continue through 9 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Officials are warning those in the area to prepare for tree limb breakage and localized power outages caused by ice accumulation.

As of 10:03 a.m., nearly 70,000 Oncor customers have been affected by power outages across North Texas.

Trinity Metro in Tarrant County has suspended bus services temporarily, according to a release. TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express services will continue operating, but weather-related delays are expected.

— Toluwani Osibamowo, General Assignments Reporter

Winter weather conditions deteriorate across North Texas — Feb. 1, 8:22 AM

Power outages are on the rise across North Texas. As of 8 a.m., Oncor listed more than 56,000 outages.

The National Weather Service extended its winter storm warning through 6 a.m. Thursday morning and an ice storm warning is in effect along and west of the I-35 corridor. More snow is expected today, with some accumulation across the region.

The Texas Department of Transportation is asking folks to stay off the roads when possible. Those who must drive are encouraged to leave early and drive slowly. There have been at least six deaths on Texas roads since Monday, including a triple fatality crash Tuesday near Brownfield, about 40 miles southwest of Lubbock, and two law officers in the state were seriously injured, according to the Associated Press.

Bus and rail services in Dallas are still running, but DART says to expect significant delays. If conditions worsen, service could be suspended.

More than 1,000 flights have been canceled at Dallas/Fort Worth and Dallas Love Field airports as of Wednesday morning, with more than 2,500 flights canceled since Monday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.com.

— Sam Baker and Katherine Hobbs, KERA News Morning Edition

Christopher Alford scrapes an icy windshield during a winter storm Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Fort Worth.
Yfat Yossifor
/
KERA
Christopher Alford scrapes an icy windshield during a winter storm Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Fort Worth.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit continues operations despite winter storm warning — Jan. 31, 5:29 p.m.

DART spokesperson Gordon Shattles said in an email that regularly scheduled bus, train and GoLink services will continue to operate Wednesday.

Shattles said there's still a possibility of delays and that crews are ready to respond to the winter storm's impact on services.

— Pablo Arauz Peña, Breaking News Reporter

Plano shelter full while clinics and non-profits extend closures — Jan. 31, 5:21 p.m.

The city of Plano announced that the Plano Overnight Warming Station is at capacity and will not accept any guests as of Tuesday. The city urges those who need shelter to search for other options.

Dallas-based Parkland Clinics announced in a statement that it's continuing to close all clinics except for surgery and outpatient services. The healthcare provider will reach out to patients to reschedule Wednesday appointments.

Meals On Wheels of Tarrant County announced in an email that its suspending meal services on Wednesday.

"Please stay safe and warm, and be sure to check on your elderly and disabled neighbors," wrote the nonprofit's spokesperson.

— Pablo Arauz Peña, Breaking News Reporter

Dangerous road conditions cause hundreds of accidents across the region Monday and Tuesday — Jan. 31, 4:16 p.m.

Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans said the department responded to 286 crashes on Monday, but saw a significant drop in calls on Tuesday after schools and businesses decided to close early.

Evans said the city is asking people to stay off the roads if they don’t have to be on them. He cautions those who must travel to drive slowly and to make sure they are giving themselves more than enough time to get to their destination.

In Tarrant County, MedStar crews responded to 151 crashes — including 19 rollover crashes — as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.

— Pablo Arauz Peña, Breaking News Reporter

Tarrant County closes all government buildings Wednesday — Jan. 31, 3:06 p.m.

Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare announced that all government buildings will close Wednesday.

— KERA News

Hundreds of flight cancellations and delays reported at DFW and Love Field airports — Jan. 31, 2:30 p.m.

By midday, the tracking service FlightAware said more than 800 flights to and from DFW Airport had been canceled Tuesday, with more than 270 scrubbed in and out of Love Field. That’s nearly twice the number canceled at both airports Monday.

Southwest Airlines alone Tuesday had to cancel more than 500 flights and delay another 250.

Those flight disruptions followed a scheduling meltdown for the Dallas-based carrier last month. It also began with a winter storm, but problems continued after most other airlines had recovered.

— Sam Baker, Senior Editor and Morning Edition Host

All city facilities in Denton close Tuesday — Jan. 31, 2:21 p.m.

Stuart Birdseye, spokesperson for the City of Denton, said the city is closing all city facilities, including rec centers and libraries on Tuesday.

He also said anyone needing shelter in Denton can go to Our Daily Bread community shelter on North Loop 28. The shelter has overnight accommodations and meals.

Birdseye said the city is keeping an eye on Wednesday closures.

— Mya Nicholson, Denton Accountability Reporter

A sign for El Tivoli Place, an area of Oak Cliff, covered in snow.
Paul DeBenedetto
/
KERA News
A street in Oak Cliff is covered in snow on Jan. 31, 2023.

Inclement weather shelters are filling up in Dallas as freezing rain and ice continues to shower the city — Jan. 31, 2:03 p.m.

The city of Dallas activated several weather shelters starting Monday, but they are nearly full. As the main shelters began reaching capacity, the city opened the Central Library as a shelter.

Christine Crossley, director of the office of homeless solutions, said her team is continuing to monitor the storm and adjust accordingly.

“When we reach capacity at the library we will look at what's next," Crossley said. "Right now I’m thinking we will be okay because as bad as this is, it isn’t really predicted to go for too many more days.”

The city is also distributing supplies to help people on the street stay warm.

— Nathan Collins, Dallas Accountability Reporter

Fort Worth Fire Department releases incident report from Monday's severe weather — Jan. 31, 1:41 p.m.

The Fort Worth Fire Department reported more than 140 car accidents throughout the city on Monday, along with four fires and six calls related to cold-weather exposure.

Craig Trojacek, the department's spokesperson, said the numbers for Tuesday are still coming in but so far firefighters are responding to fewer calls as residents stay off the roads.

Trojacek advised residents to plan ahead and take note of icy bridges, hills and low-lying areas.

"If you do have to travel, really put some thought into that to that route before you leave the house," Trojacek said. "Just slow and steady wins the race."

Trojacek also said residents should take precautions when using gas heaters and other gas-powered devices, including keeping their smoke detectors up to date.

— Pablo Arauz Peña, Breaking News Reporter

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