Winter Storm Fern Tracks Through Northeast Texas

Winter Storm Fern moved through Northeast Texas from Friday evening into Sunday, bringing a devastating combination of freezing rain, sleet, and snow that created catastrophic conditions across the region.

Storm Track

The storm approached from the southwest on Friday afternoon, with wintry precipitation impacting all of North Texas from Friday night through Monday Severe Weather Europe

. The system brought particularly severe ice accumulations to the northeastern portion of the state, especially the Ark-La-Tex region (Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas border area) around Texarkana, Longview, and Shreveport.

Precipitation

Ice Accumulation: Nearly 0.75 inches of ice was reported near Hall Summit, Louisiana, southeast of Shreveport WTAE

, one of the highest accumulations from the storm. Tree damage from ice accumulation was reported in parts of eastern New Mexico, Texas and southeast Oklahoma U.S. News & World Report

.

Mixed Precipitation: The Dallas-Fort Worth area experienced a treacherous mix of a half-inch of ice followed by 2-5 inches of sleet and snow Severe Weather Europe

. The combination made conditions particularly dangerous.

Impacts on Life in the Region

Power Outages: The impact on electrical service was severe. Texas was the worst-affected state with more than 82,000 customers without power WWBT

. In the Ark-La-Tex specifically, about 17,000 SWEPCO customers were without power in southern Arkansas, Northwest Louisiana and Northeast and East Texas as of Saturday morning FOX 5 Atlanta

.

Transportation Paralysis: Travel became nearly impossible by Saturday, with North Texas not expected to climb back above freezing until Monday afternoon, meaning travel could remain hazardous through Monday evening Severe Weather Europe

. Icy roads were reported as far south as a stretch of Interstate 10 near Kerrville, Texas, northwest of San Antonio U.S. News & World Report

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Air Travel Disruption: More than 9,000 flights across the U.S. were canceled on Saturday alone, with most cancellations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport FOX Weather

.

Emergency Response: Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to twice as many crashes, fires and welfare checks as normal since Winter Storm Fern arrived Pivotal Weather

. More than 800 people checked into Dallas shelters Friday night, with shelters filling up faster than ever Pivotal Weather

.

Extreme Cold: Beyond the ice and snow, life-threatening wind chills and temperatures potentially approaching record lows on Sunday and Monday added to the danger Severe Weather Europe

. The prolonged freeze lasting 75+ hours raised concerns about frozen pipes and hypothermia risks.

The storm’s impacts were expected to linger well beyond the precipitation ending, with SWEPCO describing it as “a prolonged and historic weather event” FOX 5 Atlanta