DALLAS – WBAP/KLIF – The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex is expected to see as much as eight inches of snow before the storm readying to pound North and Central Texas beginning late Sunday afternoon moves on. Ice pellets and downed power lines are expected in East Texas with this system, and power demands in temperatures never seen before statewide could result in 45 minute rolling blackouts if demand threatens to crash the system.
The snow will be followed by extremely cold temperatures such as the area has never seen. For the first time “on the books”, hard freezes will affect the entire state, including in Brownsville, which also expects to suffer through freezing ice pellets and ice rain.
Heavy snowfall will occur in North Texas from early evening through the overnight hours, followed by free-falling, plunging temperatures before another powerful snowstorm arrives to belt North Texas again on Wednesday.
Governor Greg Abbott has asked the White House for a federal disaster declaration, and is calling on the National Guard to perform search and rescue missions as well as welfare checks in regions outside of cities. Out of state power restoration crews are already in Texas, prepared to help Texan crews get downed lines back up and power back on should that become an issue. Various state agencies will assist with duties normally outside the job description details, including helping to clear fallen trees and other debris blocking roadways.
Wednesday, a second powerful snowstorm will move into North Texas; we know it will be a massive storm, but how much snow and or other types of freezing precipitation is expected to fall remains uncertain at this point.
Virtually every point in the nation is under some type of cold temperature or storm watch or warning this holiday weekend. Governor Abbott asks Texas to keep thermostats at settings no higher than 68 degrees Farenheit, in order to more evenly distribute power and prevent blackouts with much demand on the system expected for the next several days. North Texas is not expected to break past the freezing mark until Friday, at the earliest.
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