City of Dallas prepares for extremely dangerous winter storm
Dallas outlines plans for winter storm
The City of Dallas held a press conference today on their preparations to keep the city safe during the upcoming severe winter weather. Peyton Yager from FOX 4 News has more on the presser.
DALLAS - While most of North Texas is still in the calm before the storm, Dallas leaders are busy preparing for what’s expected to be an extremely dangerous winter storm.
Dallas Weather Response
Dallas city officials give updates on winter storm preparations
Dallas city officials held a press conference Wednesday afternoon to give updates on how the city is prepared to handle the severe winter weather expected to hit North Texas this weekend.
The city of Dallas will gave an update on Wednesday on plans for the inclement weather forecast. You can watch that update in the video player above.
Treating Roads
Earlier in the day, road crews with the Texas Department of Transportation and the North Texas Tollway Authority started pre-treating roads with brine.
The saltwater solution helps prevent ice from sticking to the roads once the colder air moves in.
A major focus will be on bridges and overpasses, but the ice threat extends well beyond raised surfaces.
Dallas Weather: Crews pretreat roadways ahead of winter storm
Crews have begun pretreating the roadways in North Texas ahead of the severe winter weather scheduled to hit on Friday evening. Officials are also encouraging people to stay home if possible to avoid possible slick and icy roads.
Dallas is also evaluating vehicles, prepping equipment, and loading trucks with a sand and salt mixture.
"Transportation and Public Works has crews that are being prepositioned with resources in order to scout bridges, overpasses and prepare their ice force teams, which consist of 50 standing vehicles to take care of any slick spots or hazardous city of Dallas roadway conditions," said Dallas Director of Emergency Management Kevin Oden.
What they're saying:
"We will try to pretreat some of the bridges and problematic locations if we can before the storm before it ices up," Dr. Gus Khankarli, Director of Transportation and Public Works, told FOX 4's Peyton Yager. "And then sanding trucks after. 24/7 operations starting Friday afternoon."
"We are well prepared. this is what we do," Justin Ball, Dallas Fire Chief, said during the presser. "If you don't want us to be quite as busy, then stay home. That's the advice. Stay home. because there will be a lot of car accidents."
Winter Storm Watch
Dallas weather: Jan. 21 evening forecast
Get the latest from FOX 4 chief meteorologist Dan Henry on the winter storm approaching North Texas in this evening Dallas forecast.
The National Weather Service has now extended its Winter Storm Watch for North and Central Texas through Sunday morning.
An Extreme Cold Watch will also be in effect from Saturday evening through Monday morning.
The FOX 4 Weather team warns that North Texas could be below freezing through Tuesday afternoon, meaning the region could face nearly 100 hours of sub-freezing temperatures.
The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is expected to see a mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow that could accumulate on roads and possibly cause power outages.
Dallas weather: Winter Storm Watch extended, Extreme Cold Watch issued ahead of dangerous ice and snow
A dangerous winter storm is set to bring a treacherous mix of ice and snow to North Texas, triggering a 100-hour deep freeze that will keep temperatures below freezing until Tuesday.
The Source: The information in this story comes from officials with the city of Dallas, TxDOT, NTTA, NWS and the FOX 4 Weather team.