Another winter storm could pour another two inches of snow into Dallas-Fort Worth

The sun came out on Monday, but it didn’t do much to warm up the millions of Texans struggling without power.

At around 1pm on Monday, the temperature rose to just 11 degrees – not enough to clear the 10 inches of snow that fell on Sunday at DFW International Airport.

And before people have a good chance of balance, more snow may be on the way to increase the slippery conditions that have even made short trips home treacherous, according to the National Weather Service.

The casualties on Tuesday are expected to drop to single digits again, and gusts of wind will make it look like -15 degrees, according to Jason Dunn, a meteorologist at the Weather Service.

Dallas-Fort Worth received a wind chill warning until noon on Tuesday – the first such warning in northern Texas.

“The chills of the cold wind can cause burns on exposed skin in just 30 minutes,” said the Meteorological Service. “Avoid outside activities, if possible.”

The next winter round is due to arrive in Texas on Tuesday afternoon, crossing the Red River before heading south toward Dallas, Dunn said.

Areas north of Interstate 20 can receive 3 to 5 inches more snow.

“This must be mainly a mixture of freezing rain and / or hail, which can result in significant additional freezing, especially south of the metroplex,” he said.

After a winter storm alert expired on Monday morning, the National Weather Service issued a second for all of Dallas-Fort Worth. The alert, scheduled for 6pm Tuesday to 6am Thursday, urged North Texans to avoid traveling from Tuesday to Wednesday and warned that more power cuts are likely.

Governor Greg Abbott on Monday deployed the National Guard across the state to do social security checks and help take those in need to the area’s heating centers.

To clear roads and help essential workers, Abbott also deployed a number of resources, including 3,300 state soldiers and 3,300 patrol vehicles, as well as employees from the Texas Military Department, Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force.

Interruptions

Most flights from DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field were interrupted by the second day.

American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, canceled about 371 flights at DFW International Airport, which is its main hub responsible for channeling most of its traffic through the central United States. The cancellations almost corresponded to the 386 flights the airline suspended on Sunday.

Water utilities in the region were already receiving dozens of calls about frozen pipes on Monday morning, and the number increased as temperatures dropped below freezing. Residents were encouraged to keep the taps running to reduce the risk of freezing.

Grand Prairie was dealing with water brakes that the teams were having trouble fixing due to the extreme cold. However, none of the disruptions was causing major problems.

Power cuts and dangerous road conditions forced many companies to close on Monday.

The NorthPark Center and Golden Triangle Mall in Denton were closed all day, and the Galleria in Dallas closed at noon. Many supermarkets, like Kroger and Central Market, also planned to close earlier.

Risky roads

The Texas Department of Transportation said on Monday that almost all roads in northern Texas had some snow accumulation after Sunday’s storm.

The teams worked on Monday to treat ice patches and plows, but TxDOT strongly discouraged people from taking to the streets and warned that road signs could be affected by power outages.

“Be careful at these intersections and treat them as a four-way stop until power is restored,” said TxDOT in a written statement.

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit suspended all light rail service on Sunday night and will not resume rail operations until Thursday morning.

The Trinity Railway Express service was suspended from Monday evening until Thursday morning. DART buses operated on Saturday hours and 14 bus routes were added. The Dallas tram was not working while DART operated on a plan for the winter.