Winter Storm — Anderson, Texas

2003-02-24 to 2003-02-27 · Anderson, Texas

Wider weather episode

Freezing rain and sleet began falling across western parts of North Texas late Monday morning the 24th and spread eastward during the afternoon and night, before ending the morning of the 25th. South of a Lampasas to Gatesville to Mexia to Athens line the precipitation was predominantly freezing rain, with ice accumulations of 1/4 to 1/2 inch. North of this line the precipitation was mostly sleet and snow, with most of the snow falling north of interstate 20. Sleet and snow accumulations were generally 1 to 3 inches, with 3 to 5 inches of snow north of a Breckenridge to Decatur to Dallas to Paris line. Schools and businesses closed early on the 24th, many not reopening until the afternoon of the 26th. Thousands of motorists, particularly truckers, were stranded for over 24 hours. Hundreds of flights at DFW International Airport and Love Field were cancelled, thousands delayed, and 2,500 people were stranded at the DFW Airport Monday night. There were hundreds of automobile accidents. The estimated 200 sand trucks across Dallas and Tarrant Counties worked 24 hours a day but could not keep up with the freezing rain, sleet, and snow accumulations Monday and Tuesday. Emergency rooms at area hospitals estimated 20-40 percent of their patient's injuries were snow or ice related from Monday through Wednesday. Conditions did not improve significantly until Thursday afternoon the 27th, when significant melting occurred. Most of the damage was lost revenue due to truckers stranded, airline flights cancelled, businesses and schools closed, and emergency expenditures due to the weather.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5347294. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.