Winter Storm — Tarrant, Texas

2013-12-05 to 2013-12-06 · Tarrant, Texas

Event narrative

An average of 2-3 of ice and sleet accumulated in Tarrant County. Most of the accumulations were due to sleet and the heaviest amounts fell in the northwestern portions of the county. Up to 0.50 of freezing rain/ice occurred. 2.5 of sleet was reported in Hurst, 2 of ice and sleet was reported in Keller, 2 of sleet was reported in Haslet, 2 was reported in North Richland Hills, and 2.25 of sleet was reported in the Benbrook area. 2 of sleet and ice was reported at the NWS Office in north Fort Worth. The I-20/I-30 split in west Fort Worth was especially treacherous to travel through due to cobblestone ice and so was I-35W north of North Tarrant Parkway. Numerous traffic accidents occurred on the icy streets. Fort Worth police reported nearly 40 major accidents and several smaller ones. A 7-car accident occurred on I-20 at Forest Hill around 9 pm on the 5th, and a 15-car wreck occurred on TX 121 in Grapevine. Only 3 people sustained minor injures in both of those accidents, but a male died in a separate accident on I-20 in Arlington. Hundreds of ice related falls were reported by area hospitals. Several power lines also snapped due to the weight of the ice and more than 200,000 customers were without power on the 6th. Several thousand people were stranded at DFW Airport throughout the weekend. The clean-up from the ice storm took several weeks. Hundreds of tree branches broke due to the weight of the ice. An elderly man died from hypothermia in Fort Worth.

Wider weather episode

A winter storm affected much of North and Central Texas for an extended period from December 5th through the 10th. A combination of freezing rain, sleet, and a little snow began falling during the day on the 5th and continued through the morning hours of the 6th. As the ice and sleet settled on the 6th, a thick layer of ice paralyzed most of the area north of a line from Goldthwaite to Cleburne to Ennis to Sulphur Springs. In this area, accumulations of sleet and ice measured up to 5 with the highest amounts from Denton to Sherman to Bonham. Temperatures remained below freezing until the 9th and 10th resulting in a prolonged winter event. Most residents were forced to remain at home for several days. A new term, coined cobblestone ice, was used to describe the condition of the ice on the interstates and highways due to the compaction of ice and sleet. South of this area, lighter amounts of icing occurred producing mainly icy bridges, overpasses, and elevated surfaces.

As a result of the ice storm, significant tree damage occurred with thousands of tree branches falling under the weight of the ice. Power lines were also brought down, and at the peak of the storm, 275,000 customers were without power in the North Texas region. Most schools, especially in the hardest hit areas, were closed for several days. Some businesses were forced to close for a day or two also. Hundreds of injuries were reported due to falls on the ice but exact numbers were not available. Seven fatalities occurred during this event; 4 in vehicles, 2 from exposure, and 1 from a fall on the ice. Early estimates from the insurance council estimated $30 million in residental insured loses. The estimate did not include damage to vehicles or roads. Many roads and bridges were damaged from the ice and/or from attempts by TXDOT to remove the ice using plows and graders. Hundreds of people and semis were stranded for long periods on many of the main highways and interstates including I-35 from Fort Worth to the Oklahoma border and Interstate 20 from Fort Worth going west. The clean-up from this event took weeks and even a few months is some places.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 488077. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.