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With sleet and snow falling in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, there have been some accidents on the slick roads.
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Temperatures are still above freezing and there are fewer people out and about. That’s good news for the roads.
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Snow will start accumulating and make driving conditions more challenging as the day continues.
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With sleet and snow falling in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, there have been some accidents on the slick roads.
-
Temperatures are still above freezing and there are fewer people out and about. That’s good news for the roads.
-
Snow will start accumulating and make driving conditions more challenging as the day continues.
DallasThe roads are currently being hampered by snow, sleet, and rain.
Chip Waggoner, a reporter for FOX 4 Traffic, called the buildup on some roads “slushy in nature.” According to him, the main issue is that people are moving too quickly.
The most recent road conditions forecast for the DFW metroplex is provided by Chip Waggoner.
“People get to those sections of the roadways and their lulled into a false sense of security and they end up going to fast, hit an ice patch, and end up with a yard sale,” he explained.
The regions that have received more snow and sleet than rain are also easily visible on his traffic map.
According to meteorologist Evan Andrews, temperatures are currently still above freezing. But for most people, that will alter after sundown. At that point, the roads will be considerably worse and more snow will begin to accumulate.
RELATED: Dallas winter storm warning, snowfall forecast, and amount to anticipate
Slick Collin County Roads
The storm’s target area included portions of Collin County. Roads were sloppy for the majority of the day due to the early onset of the snow.
The storm’s bullseye truly struck parts of Collin County and the neighboring areas.
Roads were sloppy for the majority of the day due to the early onset of the snow.
In an effort to prevent drivers from slipping and sliding, crews were out treating the roads.
However, some found the worsening traffic conditions to be dangerous. Several cars were seen spinning out by a FOX 4 cameraman. On the shoulder, one fell.
Tow trucks were seen along 75 in Collin County during Thursday s winter weather as drivers tried to tackle the snow and sleet.
When two cars collided in Plano, both of them skidded off the shoulder.
A few exits north, a black truck had to be loaded away after it was found along the freeway.
A McKinney area off the freeway resembled a winter paradise.
When their four-wheeler failed to restart, Colleen McGee and Jacob Merrill were having a great time on their snowy day.
“It s kind weird for Texas to get snow, but I like it,” said McGee. “It s fun to act like a kid once again.”
Meanwhile, power trucks were staged in Collin County, preparing for any potential outages.
Back on the roads, Eric Salizar headed from McKinney to his overnight shift at a Dallas hospital.
“Luckily, the hospital I m at, they offer free room and board if it gets really bad,” he said.
The snow blanketed neighborhoods in the city of Frisco.
As we drove north through the city of Allen, we began to see more snow falling. Still, the roads felt slushier and more difficult to maneuver at times.
At the Buc-ee’s in the city of Melissa, Briana Smith and her dog, Riley, stopped for a breather. He said the five-hour drive from Tulsa, Oklahoma was a nailbiter. Her final destination is Austin.
“Go slowly. Everybody is moving really slow. I saw an 18-wheeler jackknifed, people sliding all over the place, lots of people who just slid,” he said. “I think we’re kind of too scared to keep moving, so they got out of their car just stranded. I’ve seen people pull over to stop to stay safe. It’s super dangerous conditions.”
Shawn Spaid is headed to Sherman for work. He stopped at the gas station to put auto socks on his rear tires. He says they act like snow chains for traction. Spaid is taking the inclement weather in stride.
FOX 4 viewer Brandi Goellner shares video of her husband, Tim, pulling a semi out of the snow at the intersection of White and 75 in Anna.
“I’ve been doing this 18 years, so I’m used to it,” he said.
Tim Goellner seems used to it too. He’s got a 4×4 Jeep he uses for off-roading. He drove around the area to see if any stranded motorists needed help.
Treacherous Roads in Denton County
Denton County started seeing rain transition over into snow Thursday evening which led to some treacherous conditions on roadways. But TxDOT Fort Worth says it s prepared.
Staying north, Denton County started seeing rain transition over into snow around Thursday evening.
That’s led to some treacherous conditions on roadways.
Denton County saw a good amount of snow Thursday morning. By the afternoon, rain moved in, and the roads were slushy.
The TxDOT Fort Worth District says brine pretreatment is part of that reason.
“The amount of slush you see on the roadway is partially given to that because it lowers that freezing point,” said Val Lopez with TxDOT. And you’d much rather have slush on the highway than, let’s say, ice bonding onto the roadway. You don’t want that.”
Drivers like Gabe White are not taking any chances on the road. Even in his large truck with four-wheel drive, he said he was cautious on his drive from McKinney to Denton.
“I drove from McKinney, and I did 20 miles per hour from my house until I got to the highway. And then I did about 40,” he said.
By Thursday evening, the precipitation transitioned from rain to sleet and snow.
The transition is a concern for TxDOT operations.
“Our crews are going to monitor that very carefully,” Lopez said. “We’re going to be very aggressive with the way we treat it. If there’s an opportunity to remove it, plow it off, that’s what we’ll do.”
The Fort Worth District of TxDOT covers eight counties. More than 300 employees are working 24/7 during this winter weather event.
Lopez says they felt prepared for the first half of the winter weather and are gearing up for the second round overnight, but they need drivers to do their part too.
“You have to drive to the conditions that are present. You have to slow down. You have to show especially, especially, be cautious on those interchanges and those bridges,” Lopez warned. “They accumulate ice quicker and faster, and ice over quicker than the main lanes.”
About 50 additional crews came up from the southern region of the state. Those additional crews who came to help are focusing on the I-30 and 360 corridors.
Traffic Troubles at Noon
If you can stay off the road in North Texas, you definitely should. More and more accidents like these are popping up.
Dangerous Driving in The Colony
Source: The Colony Police Department
The Colony Police Department posted on social media shortly before noon that there are dangerous driving conditions in the area of 7000 Windhaven Parkway, with multiple vehicles stranded on the roadways.
DFW Traffic Cameras
Here’s a quick look at the conditions on some of the roads in DFW as of 9 a.m.
RELATED:Tower cameras across Dallas-Fort Worth
Dallas High Five
Bridges and overpasses will be the first thing to get icy since they are so high in the air and the cold air gets up under the bridge. FOX 4’s Shannon Murray was live at one of the tallest overpasses in the area — the High Five in North Dallas.
Big snowflakes were falling on FOX 4 Reporter Shannon Murray as she stood on the Dallas High Five Interchange just after 9:30 a.m. However, the bridges weren’t too bad.
In the past, the High Five has been really dangerous because it’s so tall. People would just slip and slide all the way down.
But at least on Thursday morning, TxDOT’s efforts to pretreat and monitor the conditions seemed to be working.
Irving 18-Wheeler Crash
In Irving, a bad crash is blocking most of the eastbound Highway 114 transition to Highway 183.
FOX 4 Traffic Reporter Chip Waggoner said a truck was going too fast and lost control. It ended up crashing and almost plummeting off the higher level.
If it wasn’t for just one tire, it would have ended up dangling over the side or falling onto the grassy underpass area.
It’s a reminder of how easy it is to lose control on these wet and slick roadways.
Drive With Caution
Even where the roads are mostly wet, drivers should still be careful.
For example, one of the first major crashes in DFW on Thursday morning happened on a wet highway.
“There are not a lot of folks out and about right now in that location so it’s not a huge time delay. But I feel like it serves as a reminder to us all that even though the temperatures are above freezing right now you can still end up skidding out on these wet surfaces,” Chip said.
Tips for driving in the snow and ice
Not everyone can stay home over the next few days. For those who must drive, here are some tips that could help you stay safe.
HOV and Express Lanes Closed
Most HOV and Express Lanes are closed today and tomorrow in anticipation of the bad weather.
Thankfully, there are not as many people out on the roads today so it hasn’t had much of an impact.
For the latest updates, followTraffic Reporter Chip Waggoner on XorFOX 4 Weather on Facebook.
The Source:The information in this story comes from FOX 4 Traffic Reporter Chip Waggoner, FOX 4 Meteorologist Evan Andrews, the Texas Department of Transportation, and traffic cameras.
