Sleet and snow stays north of Dallas-Fort Worth

BOWIE, Texas - Firefighters expect a busy day as the rain turns to sleet, and possibly some snow, in counties northwest of the Metroplex.

FOX 4’s Ashley Paradez traveled to Bowie in Montague County, about 70 miles northwest of Fort Worth. Sleet was falling there since the early morning hours and roads became slick.

The fire department in Bowie has been preparing to rescue people by equipping vehicles with chains for traction.

“We can get to wherever we need to go. And if we can’t get there, we’re gonna find a way to get to you, even if we have to call in someone with an airboat,” said Asst. Chief Joel Moore with the Bowie Fire Department.

For a matter of minutes, Downtown Jacksboro had its snow globe moment. People who were leaving work at the Jack County Courthouse got just a taste of a rare snowfall.

“It’s pretty,” said Traci Mahler. “And I just wish we had more of it so we could make snow ice cream.”

But more of it never came. The snow melted as soon as it hit the ground, turning TxDOT efforts to clear roads more precautionary than necessary.

At Ryan Hammond's restaurant, JR’s Chop House B&B, employees took a moment to take it all in.

“It’s something that you don't see around here but once or twice a year if you're lucky,” Hammond said.

Drivers in Gainesville say they were concerned hearing the possibility of a wintry mix in the forecast, but they were pleasantly surprised when they found the roads weren’t that bad. They reported seeing a light dusting of flakes and some slush while driving through Oklahoma. But it wasn’t enough to stick to anything.

Drivers say they weren’t sure if they should hit the road after hearing the forecast, but they had no trouble out on the roads traveling into North Texas.

“The preparation and preparing the roads, it was great,” said driver Frank Weis. “I’m from Minnesota. I know ice very well, and they did an excellent job.”

“Coming in through Paul’s Valley, we ran into some,” said driver Bill Hines. “It was coming down pretty good-sized flakes, but hitting the ground and just melting.”

Temperatures have been staying in the 30’s all day, but many are already looking forward to seeing a slight warmup this weekend.

By Friday, the sun will come out and a west wind will push temperatures back up into the 50s for all of North Texas.

For the full forecast, visit fox4news.com/weather, download the WAPP for your cell phone or tablet or check out FOX 4 Weather on Facebook. 

For updates on road conditions, visit DriveTexas.org or follow Chip Waggoner on Twitter.