Winter Weather in Hale, Texas

Following maximum temperatures in the 60s and 70s on the 15th, a strong cold front and upper trough brought a wintry blast to the entire South Plains region by the morning of the 16th. Initially, freezing drizzle developed over the extreme southeast Texas Panhandle before expanding to the south and west. A thin glaze of ice was deposited on many exposed surfaces but most roads fared well until the freezing drizzle changed over to snow in the following hours. The heaviest snow, up to four inches, fell at Memphis (Hall County) with generally two to four inches elsewhere in the southern Texas Panhandle. Lesser amounts were observed farther south including one inch at Lubbock's Preston Smith International airport. With temperatures well below freezing all day, road conditions quickly deteriorated and nearly 120 accidents were reported in the city of Lubbock alone with 11 confirmed injuries. Accidents were noted elsewhere including three fatalities from two separate motor vehicle accidents attributed to icy roads. Two brothers died after their truck rolled multiple times while traveling on US Highway 84 just south of Slaton (Lubbock County). A third vehicle fatality occurred northwest of Hale Center (Hale County) Saturday night on Farm to Market Road 179 near Farm to Market Road 1914.