Blizzard in Sherman, Texas

TxDOT closed all major roads through Sherman County due to motorists getting stranded in near zero visibility. Blizzard level winds were reached at a mesonet around 1135CST and lasted through 2205CST. In addition, a couple of mesonet stations located in the county measured several wind gusts in excess of 58 mph between 1225CST and 2011CST. The peak gust of 72 mph was measured at 1331CST. Sustained winds were between 40 and 45 mph between 1516CST and 1920CST. Snowfall amounts ranged one to two inches in the southeast part of the county to four to six inches in the northwest.

A strong low pressure system brought severe winds and snow to the combined Panhandles. With sustained winds reaching 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 74 mph combined with snow, much of the area saw blizzard to near blizzard conditions. The Oklahoma and Texas Departments of Transportation were forced to shutdown roadways as motorists got stranded in the snow with near zero visibility and no way for emergency personnel to reach them. Roads west and north of Amarillo, TX were impacted for much of the afternoon through evening hours of the 8th. Amarillo east and southeastward, while experiencing the same strong winds, only experienced shorter durations of low visibility and less impact from the snow compared to the northwestern Panhandles.