West Texas Gets 10 Inches Of Snow

Winter came early this year for Texans, with up to 10 inches of snow accumulating in western sections of the state from a new cold front.

In San Angelo, up to 5 inches of snow tied the earliest snowfall on record. The National Weather Service said 5.8 inches were recorded on Nov. 8, 1968, a record snowfall for the month of November.

The white stuff worked its way to the Dallas-Fort Worth area by Thursday. Road crews were sanding icy bridges and highways in Decatur, northwest of Dallas, where an inch or more of snow fell.

More flurries and sleet were reported north of Dallas in Collin County. Officials in the Fort Worth area and Tarrant County were expecting a few flurries and icy conditions early Thursday morning before the cold front moved eastward.

A winter weather advisory was in effect for parts of North Texas, with rain mixed with sleet and snow falling over the western portions of the region.

In Abilene, 3 to 5 inches fell, causing a delay in classes and several minor traffic accidents. Power outages across the city left up to 7,500 residents without electricity for part of the morning.

Power lines either snapped under the weight of accumulated snow or were broken by falling tree limbs, Linda Caton, a spokeswoman for AEP-West Texas Utilities, told the Abilene Reporter-News.

The snow also caused power outages in Hawley, Hamlin, Haskell, Knox City, Munday, Stamford, Roby and San Angelo.

As much as 9 inches blanketed parts of the Panhandle.

Up to 10 inches of the white stuff fell in Sweetwater on Wednesday, as the front moved eastward.

A winter storm warning posted for the South Plains and a heavy snow warning for the Panhandle was likely to be followed Thursday by a storm watch for the Trans Pecos, Davis Mountains and Marfa Plateau.

Snow that fell in the Permian Basin accumulated about 5 inches in Seminole.

"We've had several accidents caused by the ice on the road," Gaines County sheriff's dispatcher Tommy Gonzalez told the Odessa American.

Forecasts called for a warmup to seasonable temperatures in the next few days.

Some North Texas residents say they were unprepared for the winter weather.

"I wasn't ready for it," Lee Dawkins, an Arlington electrician, said. "I didn't know it would get this cold. I wasn't ready for 30-degree weather. I wish it was close to the weekend so I could just lock myself inside until Monday."

Forecasters are predicting a wetter and colder winter than normal.