Here’s the latest on school closures/delays for Tuesday, Jan. 16.

North Texans woke up to snowy ground and icy roads Monday as a cold front continues lowering temperatures and creating hazards in the region.

Authorities are warning of potentially dangerous road conditions across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, including icy and slick streets and highways, and urging people to avoid travel.

Many roads may just have a dusting of snow, but a map of road conditions at drivetexas.org. shows drivers should watch for patches of ice. All TEXpress managed lanes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are closed until further notice.

The Texas Department of Transportation has noted snow and ice on roadways, especially on shoulders, a spokesperson said late Monday morning. While TxDOT has not closed any roads or highways, cities and counties may have.

TxDOT isn’t sure yet if road conditions will worsen overnight, but spokesperson Bethany Kurtz said it is possible roads could thaw and then refreeze. Kurtz said TxDOT will be watching forecasts and road conditions and provide updates.

Bedford police said shortly before 9:30 a.m. Monday that northbound Texas 121 was closed between the Murphy Drive and Harwood Road exits due a multiple-vehicle crash. There were no major injuries, and the road reopened about 10 a.m.

But another major crash was reported on the southbound 121 ramp to Texas 114 in Grapevine, north of DFW Airport, about 11:15 a.m., and lanes were closed there.

At least eight vehicles were involved, including a fire truck, Grapevine police said. One person was transported to a hospital with injuries. The fire truck was assisting with another wreck when it was hit, police said.

Texas 121 was shut down with all traffic diverted to Texan Trail, but it reopened about 11:40 a.m., according to TxDOT.

Sunshine and vehicles should melt any snow on the roads Monday, but melted and compacted snow could refreeze overnight, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. Additional melting may occur Tuesday, but travel impacts will linger into Wednesday for most of the region, the NWS said.

About 1.5 inches of snow was reported at DFW Airport, much of which was lake effect snow.

The dangerously cold temperatures are expected to continue through Wednesday morning before peaking above freezing Wednesday afternoon, according to the NWS. The worst of it is forecast for Tuesday morning, when the service says temperatures will be “bitter cold” with wind chills below 0 degrees.

Conserve morning electricity use

ERCOT, the agency that manages most of the state’s power grid, is asking Texas residents to conserve electricity if safe to do so from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday after making a similar request Monday morning.

The Monday conservation request expired and grid conditions were normal late Monday morning. But it’s expected to be around 11 degrees in DFW early Tuesday morning, and ERCOT forecasts higher demand Tuesday if Texans return to work and schools reopen.

ERCOT said in a statement that it was able to avoid emergency operations Monday “due to the conservation efforts by Texas residents and businesses, combined with additional grid reliability tools.”

ERCOT expects similar conditions on Wednesday and may make another appeal.

ERCOT has not announced any plans for rolling blackouts.

“Tomorrow’s conservation appeal does not indicate ERCOT is experiencing emergency conditions at this time,” Monday’s statement said. “ERCOT will remain vigilant and communicate further if conditions change because of continued freezing temperatures and very high demand in the morning hours. At this time, if you are experiencing an outage, it is local in nature and not related to overall grid reliability.”

The supply and demand of electricity is projected to be the tightest Tuesday morning around 8 a.m., with demand forecast to briefly exceed capacity, according to projections on ERCOT’s website.

The conservation requests came after Gov. Greg Abbott and other officials assured Texans on Friday that they were confident Texas’ grid would be able to stand up to the current winter weather and there would not be a repeat of the widespread outages that impacted millions during the February 2021 winter storm, which killed 246 people statewide.

ERCOT also requested all government agencies, including city and county offices, to implement programs to reduce their energy use until at least 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Energy-saving tips are online at ercot.com/txans#tips and include lowering your thermostat by a degree or two, avoiding use of large appliances like washers and dryers, and turning off and unplugging non-essential lights and appliances.

Power outages

Oncor’s outage map showed over 13,000 customers without power about noon Monday as crews worked to restore electricity to areas experiencing outages, with over 300 of those in Tarrant County and over 700 in Dallas County.

Juan Reyes, a spokesperson for Oncor, said the scattered outages the company has seen result primarily from the stresses of unprecedented use and cold temperatures.

“It’s not uncommon for the first significant freeze of the year to see some impacts on some of our electrical equipment,” Reyes said. “We’ve had some unprecedented growth in some areas, so this could be because some of the equipment is seeing unprecedented growth in the load. That plus the cold weather means it could be under a lot of extra stress.”

He also stressed that unlike with large storms that move through the area, Oncor crews aren’t waiting for the storm to pass so they can get to work on fixing downed lines or damaged or destroyed equipment. The work is constant.

Crews were on standby and ready for quick response before the cold weather took hold of the region and have been working non-stop since it arrived, he said. Those crews train year-round for cold weather responses.

“We’re working hard to restore power as quickly and safely as we can,” Reyes said.

Electric outages Dallas - Fort Worth vicinity

Here is Oncor's power outages map. Outage information is sent from Oncor to the outage map every 10 minutes. Source: stormcenter.oncor.com

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In the Fort Worth area, to report an outage or check the status of an outage with Oncor, text OUT to 66267 on your cell phone or tablet, download the MyOncor App, visit Oncor.com or call 888-313-4747.

View outage maps and contact info for other providers in the state at puc.texas.gov/storm/contact.aspx

Stay safe outdoors

MedStar has initiated special cold weather protocols, assigning a higher priority to 911 calls about people exposed to the elements, according to a statement released by the ambulance service provider. The decision comes as risks of frostbite and hypothermia, which can be deadly, increase throughout North Texas.

According to MedStar, it is best to stay inside a heated space during cold weather like this. Check in on elderly or immune-compromised friends and loved ones regularly to make sure they are doing OK.

If you have to be outside, dress with multiple layers of warm clothes, wear mittens, cover your face, pay attention to shivering (if you stop shivering, it could be a bad sign) and stay dry. If your clothes become wet, find a warm place and remove wet clothing. Be on the lookout for these symptoms of hypothermia:

• Shivering, which may stop as hypothermia progresses (shivering is a good sign that a person’s heat regulation systems are still active);

• Slow, shallow breathing;

• Confusion and memory loss;

• Drowsiness or exhaustion;

• A slow, weak pulse;

• Loss of coordination, including fumbling hands and stumbling steps;

• Slurred or mumbled speech;

• In severe hypothermia, a person may be unconscious without obvious signs of breathing or a pulse.

If you do have to drive, the National Weather Service cautions to slow down and allow for additional time in your travel plans. If possible, delay plans until temperatures increase. Plan for alternative routes in case of road closures and check road conditions in advance.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Fort Worth was postponed because of the weather.

Current Temperatures

Current temperatures and weather data from NOAA weather stations updated hourly. Tap on the map for current weather conditions, including humidity, wind speed. and direction. Data provided by NOAA and Esri.

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Steve Wilson swilson@star-telegram.com

Will schools close?

North Texas schools are already closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Day holiday. Most school districts likely will wait until Monday or early Tuesday morning to announce decisions about whether students will need to report for classes on Tuesday. Here’s the latest.

Districts can email closings@star-telegram.com to report closings or delays.

Weather watches and warnings

A live data feed from the National Weather Service containing official weather warnings, watches, and advisory statements. Tap warning areas for more details. Sources: NOAA, National Weather Service, NOAA GeoPlatform and Esri.

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Steve Wilson swilson@star-telegram.com

Weather-related fires

The Fort Worth Fire Department said it has responded to several fires related to the extreme weather conditions.

In one case, firefighters were dispatched to a house fire in the 5600 block of Shiloh Drive about 11:45 p.m. Sunday. Station 16 found heavy smoke showing from the one-story house and made an interior attack.

While crews were working inside, Quint 16 Captain Brian Alexander had to escape through a front window when “the room suddenly flashed and flames engulfed the room,” the fire department said in a Facebook post. Seeing the conditions deteriorate, Engine 30 Captain Larry Young grabbed a hoseline and began knocking down the flames from the outside so that Alexander could escape.

Alexander went back to work immediately, and crews had the fire under control in 30 minutes, the department said. There were no injuries and the cause of the blaze was under investigation.

The fire happened as snow began falling and temperatures hovered around 10 degrees.

The fire department said it responded to 25 calls for service for carbon monoxide and 24 calls for structure fires on Sunday. Firefighters gave a reminder that alternative heating methods, including fireplaces and space heaters, require extra safety measures to ensure you’re using them properly.

Cold weather shelters available

Fort Worth’s regular emergency shelters are ready to serve people on cold nights:

• Presbyterian Night Shelter: On cold weather days, shelter intake begins at noon instead of 2 p.m. Individuals enrolled in programs do not need to leave the shelter during the day. During extreme weather, overnight guests are able to stay in the shelter throughout the day.

• Union Gospel Mission: On cold weather days, UGM begins shelter intake at 1 p.m.

• Families that include at least one parent and one child can seek shelter at Broadway Baptist Church, which is open for check-in from 7-9 p.m.

If local homeless shelters reach capacity, overflow facilities will be opened. In that case, those in need of cold weather shelter in Fort Worth or surrounding cities should report to the Flag Building at 1100 East Lancaster, where the When We Love organization will handle check-ins and transportation.

In Arlington, anyone in need of shelter should go to Arlington Life Shelter at 325 W. Division St. If that shelter is full, transportation will be provided to another facility.

For more information about emergency shelter options, visit the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition website. To receive alerts about cold weather shelter in Arlington, text ARL COLD to 877-799-4950. For Fort Worth, text FWCOLD to 877-799-4950.

Flight cancellations and delays

About 8% of departing flights and 15% of arriving flights were canceled at DFW Airport around 11 a.m. Monday, and about 20% of flights were delayed, according to FlightAware.

At Dallas Love Field, 21% of departing flights and 16% of arriving flights were canceled and 6% of all flights were delayed.

The latest information about cancellations and delays is available on the FlightAware website at flightaware.com.

If you’re traveling out of DFW Airport, you can check the status of your flight at dfwairport.com/flights/

For Dallas Love Field, go to dallas-lovefield.com/airlines-flights/flight-status