Metroplex likely to see half-inch of sleet and snow on morning of Feb. 5

Less than an inch of sleet and snow are expected throughout much of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex from a strong cold front headed for the area in the overnight hours of Feb. 5.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch Feb. 3 for areas northwest of a line from Cisco to Gainesville, as that area could see 1-3 inches of heavy mixed precipitation. Areas to the southeast of that line are likely to get half an inch of freezing rain between midnight and the afternoon of Feb. 5, according to the NWS.

“The more northwest you are [in the metroplex], the more likely you’ll experience some sort of impact and the further southeast you are the less likely,” NWS meteorologist Bianca Garcia said. “We may see some minor accumulation on bridges and overpasses, so that may lead to some hazardous travel. We’re expecting a winter mix, so it could be a mix of freezing rain, sleet and possibly some snow in there in the Tuesday-night-into-Wednesday hours.”

While Denton and Parker counties, as well as those farther southeast, are not currently included in the winter storm watch, Garcia said that could still change.

“That’s pretty much what we’re monitoring—how cold the entire atmosphere is—so if that cold air does come in a lot faster, there may be more reason to push those impacts further southeast, including the metroplex,” Garcia said. “Drive with caution if you have to be on the road, and stay aware that weather forecasts will likely change between now and early Wednesday morning.”

The NWS forecast includes a 20% chance of precipitation in the evening hours of Feb. 5 and a low temperature in the upper 20s during the overnight hours.

“Temperatures will be below freezing through the mid-morning on Thursday,” Garcia said, noting an expected high for the day in the mid-40s. “Then after that, we’ll have a warming trend into the mid 50s [on Friday], and by the weekend, we’ll be close to 60 degrees.”