Road crews ready for ice

[TexasStooge]

By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8

Fort Worth streets crews are stirring the sand, ready to load 15 spreaders, if freezing rain falls.

"If ice falls on top of it and it crusts over then it's not free-flowing to get into our spreaders," says Bruce Simon from Fort Worth Transportation and Public Works.

The command center is quiet. No complaints yet from residents but Elvis Babers will listen closely all evening.

"We're monitoring it minute by minute right now because all the reports indicate something is going to occur," he says.

If ice or freezing rain falls, as it did in December, crews can be on the road within 30 to 45 minutes to hit the hot spots.

Make that cold spots - bridges, overpasses, critical hills.

The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is ready for what may be the last big chill -- covering tender plants and seasonal color. Do try this at home they say. But don't worry about budding trees and flowers.

"They'll probably get knocked down a bit. Some blooms may decline. But that's going to be OK. The plant will probably survive," says Todd Welch from the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

[TexasStooge]

Ice still a possibility

By ALAN MELSON / DallasNews.com

Though the forecast has shown improvement, North Texas will hover around or below the freezing mark today, which could still lead to freezing precipitation and icy conditions on area roads.

National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Huckaby said Thursday's winter storm watch has been downgraded to an advisory, meaning conditions are less likely for major accumulation of ice in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but that doesn't mean drivers should expect smooth sailing.

"The precipitation that we're going to see looks like it's going to be on the light side, but that doesn't mean we're out of the woods by any means," Huckaby said. "It doesn't take much ice to cause problems."

Some areas in the northern part of North Texas received freezing rain Friday night and early this morning, but Huckaby said because ground temperatures are still warm, there wasn't any reported accumulation.

By 10 a.m., the temperature in Dallas had dropped to 29 degrees, and Fort Worth to 27, well on the way to the mid-20s temperatures expected across the area by mid-afternoon. Huckaby said the best chance for freezing rain or sleet will be late this afternoon and tonight.

"Initially the issues will be the usual suspects - bridges, overpasses, things that are elevated," Huckaby said.

If the weather gets icy today, Rachel Betten of Richardson won't attend a basketball game in Waxahachie.

"I'll be depressed if I have to stay here all weekend," said Rachel, 16. "My ride already called and told me they might not be able to pick me up."

Angela Loston of the Texas Transportation Department urged people to drive safely and slowly.

"If there is a trip that you can delay, I would advise folks to stay at home," she said.

Huckaby said the advisory is scheduled to end at 8 a.m. Sunday morning, though that may be extended if poor conditions linger.

"It's been a couple of months since we've seen anything like this," he said. "It's been so warm this winter it could lull you into a false sense of security that it isn't cold enough for that to happen."

Temperatures are expected to climb again next week, reaching the mid-60s by Wednesday.

Dallas Morning News staff writer Ty A. Allison contributed to this report.


NATALIE CAUDILL / Dallas Morning News
Plunging temperatures and automatic sprinklers combined to turn a tree along I-635 into an ice sculpture Friday.

[TexasStooge]

Drivers slip and slide on area highways

From The Dallas Morning News Staff

The National Weather Service has extended a Winter Weather Advisory for North Texas through Sunday at 6 p.m.

Forecasters urged maximum caution while driving because ice was building up on some bridges, overpasses and roadways Saturday night.

The weather service said motorists can expect to see periods of light freezing rain, freezing drizzle or sleet through the advisory period. The temperature fell through the day in North Texas from a high of 36 at midnight and has been at the freezing point or below since 4 a.m. Saturday.

Ice-related traffic wrecks were reported Saturday morning in Dallas, Tarrant and Denton counties.

Dallas police said slippery conditions contributed to a seven-vehicle wreck in the westbound lanes of LBJ near Hillcrest Road around 10 a.m. A large UPS 18-wheeler and a pickup truck were involved in the wreck, which snarled traffic.

About an hour later, a few cars were stranded in Irving on the State Highway 356 overpass that crosses State Highway 183 near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Sand trucks were needed to get the cars off the frozen bridge. But no serious injuries were reported, a fire dispatcher said.

Portions of Highway 287 south of Interstate 20 in southwest Arlington were shut down Saturday afternoon due to treacherous driving conditions. Traffic was diverted to the service roads.

In Denton, a pickup truck towing a motor home flipped over while exiting at University Drive from Interstate 35. Police said the 9:15 a.m. accident was ice-related.

Vehicles were reported slipping and sliding on Interstate 30 at Cherry Lane in West Fort Worth.

A pickup truck spun out on I-30 at Clover Lane just minutes after a sanding truck had treated that stretch of highway.

National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Huckaby said Thursday's winter storm watch has been downgraded to an advisory, meaning conditions are less likely for major accumulation of ice in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but that doesn't mean drivers should expect smooth sailing.

"The precipitation that we're going to see looks like it's going to be on the light side, but that doesn't mean we're out of the woods by any means," Huckaby said. "It doesn't take much ice to cause problems."

Some areas in the northern part of North Texas received freezing rain Friday night and early Saturday morning, but Huckaby said because ground temperatures are still warm, there wasn't any reported accumulation.

By 2 p.m., the temperature at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport had dropped to 26 degrees, and Fort Worth to 24. Winds were gusting above 20 mph at some locations, making it feel even colder.

Huckaby said the best chance for freezing rain or sleet will be late Saturday afternoon and during the evening hours.

"Initially the issues will be the usual suspects - bridges, overpasses, things that are elevated," Huckaby said.

If the weather gets icy today, Rachel Betten of Richardson won't attend a basketball game in Waxahachie.

"I'll be depressed if I have to stay here all weekend," said Rachel, 16. "My ride already called and told me they might not be able to pick me up."

Angela Loston of the Texas Transportation Department urged people to drive safely and slowly.

"If there is a trip that you can delay, I would advise folks to stay at home," she said.

Huckaby said the advisory is scheduled to end at 8 a.m. Sunday morning, though that may be extended if poor conditions linger.

"It's been a couple of months since we've seen anything like this," he said. "It's been so warm this winter it could lull you into a false sense of security that it isn't cold enough for that to happen."

Temperatures are expected to climb again next week, reaching the mid-60s by Wednesday.

Dallas Morning News staff writer Ty A. Allison, DallasNews.com editor Alan Melson and WFAA.com editor Walt Zwirko contributed to this report.

Live Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse.

[TexasStooge]

Freezing drizzle makes driving dangerous

From WFAA ABC 8 Staff

A deceptively dangerous freezing drizzle created big problems for motorists in North Texas on Sunday.

An icy surface built up on many road surfaces as temperatures remained in the 20s. That had bad consequences for motorists like Karen Bryant, who was on her way home from work on Mountain Creek Parkway in Dallas early Sunday morning.

"It was just a normal drive; everything seemed fine, the road seemed perfectly fine," she said. "All of a sudden, I just started to slide slowly, and I could feel it, but there was nothing I could do about it."

Bryant's Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle slid across the median and tumbled into a ditch near Wheatland Road.

"The next thing I knew, I was on my side with glass next to me," she said.

Bryant was not injured. Two passing motorists stopped to help pull her out.

It was a scene that was repeated scores of times across the Dallas-Fort Worth area as tires lost traction on slick streets and highways.

"It is going to cause problems all over the area," said WFAA-TV (Channel 8) meteorologist Pete Delkus. He said a sporadic freezing drizzle coupled with sub-freezing temperatures would play havoc with motorists throughout the day Sunday.

"I know people want to go to church, and I'm not one to tell them to stay home, but please take your time and be careful," Delkus added.

The problems on Dallas roads were reflected at the city's police auto pound, where tow trucks lined up to deposit their dented, twisted and broken cargo.

"The wait is killing us, because we can't get back out," said wrecker driver Lafayette Hearn, who said he had been waiting more than four hours. Like other tow operators, he had a backlog of other wrecks to deal with.

There were numerous ice-related pileups on area roads, including an eight-vehicle accident on northbound Interstate 45 just before I-20 in Wilmer just before midnight Saturday.

Delkus said conditions would begin to improve Sunday night around 7 p.m. when the temperature begins to climb above the freezing mark.

The Presidents Day holiday on Monday will see a continued chance for drizzle but the freeze will be over, Delkus said. Monday's high will be 49, and by Thursday, the mercury will be in the mid-60s.

WFAA-TV reporters Steve Stoler and Carol Cavazos in Dallas and WFAA.com editor Walt Zwirko in Little Elm contributed to this report.

Live Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse

[TexasStooge]

North Texas drivers slip, slide into nasty wrecks

By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8

Sirens and crashed cars were a common sight during the weekend as drizzle fell across the Dallas area.

"It is bad," said Lt. Steve Fass. "We have fire crews all over the city, and it's getting harder and harder to respond to all these incidents."

One driver heading down Stemmons Freeway at 25 mph near the Motor Street exit managed to avoid a nasty accident as others collided around her.

"The people behind they hit [and] to keep from hitting me they swerved over to the left and they hit up against the rail on the other side," said Diane Couturier.

The owner, Fnu Imroz, of one of vehicles involved was safe after the encounter, but he said his airbag caused a bit of a panic when they disabled his lock and he said his car began heating up.

"I had to break this window and just jump out of there...," he said.

Just a mile down the road on Stemmons Freeway, Dallas Fire-Rescue 47 was in need of a rescue itself when it was hit from behind and wouldn't move. Police said the paramedics were transported to the hospital.

Some drivers complained that more sand needed to be spread on ramps and overpasses, and trucks could be seen across the area trying to do just that.

At Central Expressway and Lovers Lane, car after car slid at the same spot, including a wrecker.

Live Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse

[TexasStooge]

Icy roads prove treacherous for commuters, rescuers

By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News

When bridges ice over and roadways become slick – as they're expected to again this morning – commuters aren't the only ones in jeopardy.

Rescue workers must also brave the dangerous conditions. And their trucks and cruisers are at the same risk for collision as passenger vehicles.

"Unfortunately, we're out there, too, and being involved in as many accidents as anyone else," said Annette Ponce, a spokeswoman for Dallas-Fire Rescue. "But we've got to do our jobs; we're the first responders."

A Fort Worth firefighting vehicle was totaled and 15 Dallas Fire-Rescue vehicles were damaged Sunday on slippery North Texas roadways as crews responded to a flurry of morning crashes.

More icy bridges and overpasses are expected Monday morning. A light fog was expected to freeze overnight as temperatures continue to hover around 32 degrees.

"Anything it hits that's cold, it's going to stick to it," said Dan Shoemaker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Temperatures are expected to surpass the freezing mark by about 9 a.m. The high will be in the high 40s or low 50s.

The slick roads proved fatal for at least one weekend driver.

A 39-year-old Aledo man died Sunday morning along Interstate 20 in Parker County.

David Keith Phillips, a youth pastor at Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth, lost control of his sport utility vehicle about 7 a.m. as he drove west on Interstate 20, a Texas Department of Public Safety official said. Mr. Phillips, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from his vehicle, officials said.

Fort Worth fire officials were working at an accident thought to have been weather-related along Interstate 35W near Interstate 20 when a car crashed into one of their ladder trucks early Sunday.

The car's driver was thrown from the vehicle and taken to an area hospital. The driver's name and condition were not released.

Lt. Kent Worley, a spokesman for the department, said the $750,000 truck was probably totaled.

The truck was set up as a barrier to the original accident, a procedure several cities use to protect rescue crews working highway accidents.

"This sort of proves its worth," Lt. Worley said of the practice. No firefighters were injured.

In Dallas, about 15 rescue vehicles were involved in crashes Sunday. That's typical when cold weather and freezing precipitation mix, Ms. Ponce said.

"It affects us just like anyone else driving a vehicle," she said.

Fire officials weren't able to provide accident details or estimate damages on Sunday. They were too busy responding to crashes throughout the day.

Ms. Ponce said the damaged equipment includes fire engines and ambulances. Some of the accidents occurred when cars slid into rescue vehicles at other accident scenes. Others occurred when rescue vehicles lost control and slid on icy roads.

None of the vehicles had to be taken out of service, Ms. Ponce said.

Officials at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport said that about 40 outbound and 35 incoming flights were canceled Sunday. Planes were being de-iced throughout the day, and many travelers faced 45-minute delays.

David Magaña, a spokesman for the airport, said it was too early Sunday to tell how weather would affect travelers today. But he did advise travelers to call ahead.

TXU Electric Delivery crews were investigating the cause of an outage to about 1,400 customers in Grand Prairie. Carol Peters, a spokeswoman for the company, said residents lost power about 2:30 p.m. Sunday. She said it was unclear what led to the problem or when service would be restored.

Ms. Peters said about 17 customers in North Fort Worth were without power Sunday because a transformer in that neighborhood was overloaded.

In Arlington, a car accident damaged a pole and left about 12 people without power.

Atmos Energy officials reported no problems as of Sunday afternoon.

Motorists on Sunday reported nearly 30 accidents, many involving injuries, on bridges and overpasses across Denton County, sheriff's office spokesman Tom Reedy said. No fatalities had been reported by late Sunday afternoon, but medical personnel transported about two dozen people to area hospitals, Mr. Reedy said.

Tonight, temperatures are expected to stay above freezing in the low to mid 40s. No precipitation is expected.

Tuesday's high could reach the upper 50s.

"The cold air is kind of retreating," Mr. Shoemaker said. "We're in a warming trend."

Staff writer Marissa Alanis and Lowell Brown of The Denton Record-Chronicle contributed to this report.

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[TexasStooge]

Icy conditions persist in North Texas

From WFAA ABC 8 Staff

At least four people died in separate accidents on icy North Texas roads Sunday and highway conditions early Monday continued to be treacherous.

Sub-freezing temperatures coupled with overnight precipitation glazed bridges and overpasses, resulting in more than 100 accidents in Dallas alone.

A five-car wreck in Allen blocked all southbound lanes of U.S. 75 before 6 a.m.

At the same time, all northbound lanes of North Central Expressway were shut down at 15th Street in Plano near Collin Creek Mall after police determined the road surface was too slippery. That stretch of road was reopened at 6:30 after work crews sanded the highway.

Another trouble spot was at the intersection of Interstates 45 and 20 in southeast Dallas, where an 18-wheeler overturned after skidding 200 yeards on an icy ramp. The driver was injured and taken to Baylor University Medical Center in undetermined condition. Workers struggled to clear the highway.

The National Weather Service extended a Winter Weather Advisory until 10 a.m., when conditions were expected to begin improving.

"As we go through the day, temperatures will warm up to the upper 40s," said WFAA-TV (Channel 8) meteorologist Greg Fields. "You won't have to worry about any icy conditions after this morning."

David Phillips, the youth pastor at Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth, was among those killed while he traveled Sunday on Interstate 20 from his home in Parker County.

A woman driving her three children south on U.S. Highway 67 at Ledbetter Drive slid on an icy bridge, hit a median and flipped her SUV. The 3-year-old was not in a car seat or buckled up and all three of the passengers were rushed to a hospital.

"The [child] was sitting in the front seat alongside the mother," said Senior Cpl. Robert Baudendistel. "The vehicle rolled to the right side and that child suffered a head injury."

The young boy was listed in critical but stable condition at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, and the rest of the family was in good condition.

"It is bad," said Lt. Steve Fass. "We have fire crews all over the city, and it's getting harder and harder to respond to all these incidents."

One driver heading down Stemmons Freeway at 25 mph near the Motor Street exit managed to avoid a nasty accident as others collided around her.

"The people behind they hit [and] to keep from hitting me they swerved over to the left and they hit up against the rail on the other side," said Diane Couturier.

The owner, Fnu Imroz, of one of vehicles involved was safe after the encounter, but he said his airbag caused a bit of a panic when they disabled his lock and he said his car began heating up.

"I had to break this window and just jump out of there...," he said.

Just a mile down the road on Stemmons Freeway, Dallas Fire-Rescue 47 was in need of a rescue itself when it was hit from behind and wouldn't move. Police said the paramedics were transported to the hospital.

Some drivers complained that more sand needed to be spread on ramps and overpasses, and trucks could be seen across the area trying to do just that.

At Central Expressway and Lovers Lane, car after car slid at the same spot, including a wrecker.

News 8's Debbie Denmon, Don Wall, Cynthia Vega and Carol Cavazos contributed to this report

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