Temperatures plunged below freezing Saturday morning across North Texas, and Dallas-Fort Worth residents woke up to a wintry mix or precipitation.
A winter storm warning continues for much of North Texas with sleet, freezing rain and snow expected today and tonight. An extreme cold warning was issued for Saturday through Monday as the storm ushers in what could be the coldest weather of the season.
The storm has caused anxiety among North Texans and in other parts of the country.
With more than 1,000 flights canceled as of Friday at DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field, airline travel continues to be on murky territory throughout the weekend.
D-FW Weather Wise
Forecasts of dangerously cold temperatures prompted schools, government offices and businesses across North Texas to announce closures and delays. Dallas officials urged residents to stay off the roads, while homeless service agencies and the city opened a temporary warming shelter and began offering transportation for people who need a warm place to stay.
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A thaw isn’t anticipated until early next week. On Monday, the daytime temperatures are expected to top out at around 27 degrees with overnight temperatures falling as low as 8 degrees.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins left country ahead of storms
11:30 a.m.
As the winter storm was headed for North Texas on Friday, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins was boarding a plane to Costa Rica, according to a photo published by KDFW-TV (Channel 4) in Dallas.
As county judge, Jenkins serves as head of emergency operations during disasters. His chief of staff, Lauren Trimble, said the trip was planned months ago and Jenkins ensured emergency operations and coordination were in place during his travel.
Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins listens to a budget and tax presentation on the 2026 fiscal year during a Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 in Dallas.
Angela Piazza / Staff Photographer
She declined to say when Jenkins, a Democrat, will return or whether he considered canceling his trip as the storm developed. But Jenkins shared tips on the life-threatening temperatures from his X account on Saturday.
— Tracey McManus
Dallas schools to be closed Monday
11 a.m.
Dallas ISD will close schools Monday due to inclement weather, the district announced. Students will be required to make up the school day, which the district will provide more details about at a later time.
The district did not give an update on its plans for Tuesday.
Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde decides whether to cancel class, according to district policy. To inform her decision, school personnel observe road conditions near schools and consult with the weather service, police and gas and utility companies
— Jessica Ma
NorthPark, other retail spots cutting hours
10:45 a.m.
NorthPark Center, one of the biggest shopping hubs in North Texas, will delay its opening to noon Saturday and close earlier, at 6 p.m., according to a message on its website.
The Dallas site typically opens at 10 a.m. Individual store and restaurant hours will vary.
The Ikea in Frisco is closing Saturday, according to a post on its website, because of the weather.
Legacy West in Plano said Saturday morning on Instagram that store and restaurant hours may vary due to inclement weather. The mall also noted shoppers should contact retailers directly for operating hours.
Some grocers had announced fewer hours on Saturday in anticipation of the storm. H-E-B announced it would open at 8 a.m. at some of its Texas locations, with Tom Thumb and Albertsons opening later and closing earlier this weekend in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
A Sam’s Club in Lewisville was listed as closed at about 10 a.m., along with the Walmart Neighborhood Market in Sherman, according to a store status website.
Photo of a clothing display at Uniqlo, a Japanese retailer, which is opening their new 20,000 SF store in the Galleria Mall, 13350 Dallas Parkway in Dallas. (These photos were taken on October 17, 2024.)
Steve Hamm / Special Contributor
Galleria Dallas opted to allow each retailer to make its own decision on hours. The shopping center will support tenants for normal business hours, it said, but advised visitors to contact stores directly.
Due to weather concerns, the Trader Joe’s on Greenville Avenue and Sears Street opened 10 a.m. Saturday — two hours later than usual.
Two blocks north, the weather didn’t affect Buddy’s Booze’s opening time. A small group of customers made their way in after 10 a..m. when the doors opened.
At the Central Market on Lovers Lane, Ashley Johnson and her daughter Arielle, 9, dressed in a bright pink puffer coat, grabbed last-minute items before temperatures plummet this evening.
Arielle picked up a tray of Goldfish while her mother filled their cart with bread and bought some turkey from the deli section. After Central Market, they planned to drive to Costco to pick up bottled water.
Ashley, who delivers groceries to people for Instacart part-time, said that she had been busy this week.
“I’ve been here pretty much every day,” Johnson said. “Wednesday was pretty crazy, almost everything was gone.”
— Brian Womack, William Tong and Angela Mathew
Area school districts cancel classes for Monday
10:15 a.m.
By mid-morning, a number of school districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth issued closure notices for Monday.
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Among the districts that announced they won’t hold classes Monday: Fort Worth ISD, Arlington ISD, Mansfield ISD, Carroll ISD and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD.
— Chase Rogers
Motorists make their way down an icy Loop 12 in Oak Cliff, Dallas on Jan. 24, 2026.
Azul Sordo / Staff Photographer
NWS: Expect a ‘lull’ in precipitation until afternoon
9:30 a.m.
DFW Airport dropped below freezing at 5 a.m. Saturday morning. Much of the metro area got a shower of snow and sleet, instead of the expected freezing rain and ice to start the weekend.
Freezing rain usually starts out as snow high in the atmosphere, passes through a thick layer of warmer air and melts, before passing through a final, short layer of cold air and freezing as ice on roads and objects.
Miles Langfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office, said the warm layer of air in the atmosphere was still present, but it was cold enough below that the snow formed underneath it.
“Very fun little weather phenomenon right there, doesn’t happen very often,” Langfeld said.
Some ice accumulation from freezing rain is still possible throughout the rest of the day, but the forecasted amount today is down to about a tenth of an inch for much of the metro area.
Several counties were previously forecast to receive a quarter to half an inch of ice.
Langfeld said there is expected to be a “lull” in precipitation today with scattered sleet, snow and freezing drizzles, but more widespread precipitation is forecasted for Saturday night.
— Julia James
Airport workers direct a Southwest Airline plane as rain falls at Dallas Love Field Airport on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 in Dallas. As of Friday morning, airlines at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field had canceled more than 1,000 flights that were scheduled for Saturday.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
First responders working crash in northeast Dallas
9 a.m.
Dallas police responded to a car accident at U.S. 75 Southbound at Mockingbird Lane. Three lanes were blocked, according to traffic camera footage.
Dallas police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. TxDOT issued a warning about ice and snow on bridges and overpasses, advising drivers to “travel with caution.” The transit agency was also patrolling and plowing ice on the roadway.
As responders handled the scene, cars crept past on the roadways, dusted white.
— Jessica Ma
Dallas Police and Fire Rescue respond to a single car accident on 75 Southbound at Mockingbird on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026 in Dallas. Forecasters are calling for mixed precipitation and dangerous cold, a combination that can ice over roads and weigh down power lines.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Light-rail, bus riders told to expect delays
8:30 a.m.
DART riders could face longer waits on light-rail platforms Saturday as snow and sleet slow service. The transit agency urged passengers to allow extra travel time and said shuttle buses would help bridge several stretches of track.
Shuttles are running between Blue Line stations at LBJ/Skillman and Downtown Rowlett, Red Line stations at LBJ/Central and Arapaho Center, and Green Line stations at Farmers Branch and North Carrollton/Frankford.
— Angela Mathew
A pedestrian walks by a DART train in the rain, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer
Impacts on air travel at major North Texas airports
8 a.m.
The winter storm continues to snarl weekend travel.
Nearly 750 flights scheduled to depart Saturday from DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field were canceled, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware. More than 700 inbound flights to the two airports were also canceled.
On Saturday morning, DFW airport reminded travelers in an X post to check with their airline for flight status updates and advised motorists en route to the airport to allow “extra time to drive with care.”
Relieved passengers landed at D-FW International Airport late Friday night, hours before a winter storm was set to barrel through North Texas and a large swath of the country.
Marisol Rodriguez, 44, said she cut her trip to Puerto Vallarta short by a day to beat the winter storm and make it home to Dallas.
“I was tempted to take my chances, but who knows how long I would have been stuck,” the Dallas woman said while waiting in line at immigration.
Many others were scrambling to make connections. David Brown, 51, landed a few minutes late from San Jose, Costa Rica, giving him little time to make the second leg of his flight to Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Let’s just say this wouldn’t be my first time getting stuck in Dallas,” Brown said.
— Uwa Ede-Osifo and Sarah Bahari
Scenes from Fort Worth
8 a.m.
A handful of shoppers browsed the aisles of an H-E-B in north Fort Worth shortly before 8 a.m.
Shelves of bread, cereal and chips had been restocked overnight and were mostly full. Workers unloaded pallets of firewood and produce near the front of the store.
Mike Turner carried a handful of bags as he carefully walked over the icy pavement outside to his car. Turner said he stopped at the grocery store to grab a couple things after working overnight.
— Elías Valverde II
Mike Turner carries a handful of groceries as he walks to his car over an icy parking lot outside an H-E-B, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Fort Worth.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
Flying during the winter storm? Here are some pointers
7 a.m.
If your flight is canceled and you decide not to travel, the airline must give you a refund. That is true even if your ticket was “nonrefundable.”
The airline may offer a voucher, but you can ask for your money back. You can also get refunds for unused fees, like checked bags or seat upgrades.
Before you leave for the airport, check your flight in the airline’s app and look for a storm travel waiver. A waiver often lets you change your flight without paying a fee.
If your flight is canceled, the airline will usually try to rebook you on a later flight. But it does not have to put you on another airline.
Refunds typically take up to seven business days for credit cards, and up to 20 days for cash or check payments, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
— Chase Rogers
A TEXpress sand truck drives along Alliance Gateway Freeway, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Fort Worth.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
Some stretches of Dallas-Fort Worth reporting sleet, light snow
6:10 a.m.
Some parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area woke Saturday to a thin crust of sleet and snow under gray, low-hanging skies, while other roads held only a wet sheen.
The weather service reported pockets of fog and mist across the region.
The Texas Department of Transportation’s online road-conditions portal showed only a handful of road closures in and around Dallas.
“Driving conditions can rapidly change to slick & hazardous as temps drop; avoid unnecessary travel if possible,” the TxDOT warned in a post on X.
— Chase Rogers
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Dallas winter storm: Dallas ISD to close schools Monday. See which districts are canceling
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Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins leaves for Costa Rica ahead of winter storm
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NorthPark, other retail spots cutting hours amid Texas winter storm
Cold weather, sleet and freezing rain are shaking up schedules for retailers in the region. Ikea is closed for day in Frisco.
A list of North Texas restaurants and bars open during the winter storm
Here’s where to get a hot meal (or a stiff drink) during the frigid weather this weekend.