Dangerous Arctic blast brings ice and snow to Texas while grid operators stay on alert

Timing of ‘messy’ wintry mix in North Texas still uncertain; ice and snow likely By Matt Leclercq Updated January 20, 2026 8:39 AM Gift Article Winter Storm Fern has the potential to bring widespread heavy snow and ice accumulations to the Deep South this weekend. All precipitation types will be possible, as rain will change over to freezing rain, sleet and then eventually snow from north to south. The greatest ice threat looks to be from central Texas over to northern Louisiana and into Mississippi, which includes Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Shreveport, Alexandria and Greenville. Tree damage and power outages are likely and travel will become difficult to impossible this weekend. Here is your hour-by-hour forecast. By The Weather Channel The National Weather Service in Fort Worth said Tuesday that the timing of this weekend’s winter weather remains somewhat in flux, but North Texas will likely be “messy” by Friday night. As of Tuesday morning, the outlook shows the greatest chances of snow north of Denton, while the Dallas-Fort Worth area will likely see a true wintry mix — rain turning into ice, sleet and snow. It will be dangerously cold across North and Central Texas with temperatures are expected to stay well below freezing for three days straight, with wind chills on Sunday morning around zero degrees — or possibly even colder. The major winter storm is shaping up to bring significant snow and ice from the Southern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic this weekend, affecting tens of millions of people and likely to cause travel gridlock across the U.S. National Weather Service outlook as of Tuesday morning NWS