Counties along the Red River dealt with an increase in crashes Tuesday morning as freezing rain moved across the area. A fatal crash on US 75 shut down the southbound lanes near the Red River for several hours, and I-35 was closed due to a separate crash near the Oklahoma border as well.
"Ultimately, our best advice during winter weather events is if you can stay home, you absolutely should," says TxDOT's Val Lopez. "If you can delay your travel, you should. If you can push of unnecessary trips, you should."
Lopez says crews have been working 12 hour shifts pre-treating roads to prevent ice from forming. He says crews will set down brine on all surfaces, but leading up the weather's arrival, they focus on bridges and overpasses.
"It has happened where we do see ice build up on main lanes, but it's very atypical," he says. "What we see more often is the icy conditions forming on those elevated, exposed surfaces. They don't have the benefit of being insulated by the ground."
A winter weather advisory was allowed to expire at noon Tuesday, but the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth would assess the need for an additional advisory Tuesday evening. Freezing drizzle and freezing rain are possible Wednesday, and a chance of wintry mix was forecast for Thursday.
"We're doing everything we can, but we still advise motorists, because there's no magic bullet to prevent ice everywhere, to delay their travels if they can," Lopez says.
In addition to the possibility for additional winter precipitation, temperatures are likely to stay below normal through this weekend. KRLD Chief Meteorologist Dan Brounoff expects highs in the low 30s through Saturday and highs in the low to mid teens Sunday and Monday.
According to the National Weather Service, DFW has not had four straight days with highs below 40 degrees since 2015.
