A strong upper level trough brought a few rounds of winter weather to North and Central Texas on February 5th and 6th. Early in the event, a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow was reported, but eventually transitioned to all snow.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS FWD wrote it up.
A strong upper level trough brought a few rounds of winter weather to North and Central Texas on February 5th and 6th. Early in the event, a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow was reported, but eventually transitioned to all snow. Snowfall totals were less than 4 inches but Young, Jack and Eastland counties also accumulated 0.5-1 inch of sleet in addition to the snow. The first 2 rounds of winter precipitation brought accumulations to locations along and northwest of a line from Eastland to Fort Worth To Sherman. The last round of snow on the morning of the 6th left accumulations from Bell County to Navarro County and up to Hopkins County. A total of almost 1.5 of snow was reported in Falls and Limestone counties. One fatality occurred in McLennan County due to slick roadways. A 25-year old male on a motorcycle died when he lost control on a slick spot and was thrown from his bike.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 4, 5:35 PM CST, 6 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 535 PM CST Tue Feb 4 2020 .SHORT TERM... /NEW/ /Tonight through Wednesday Night/ Conditions continue to appear likely for a winter storm late tonight into Wednesday for areas generally along and west of a line from Bowie to Eastland. Isentropic lift will strengthen late this evening as a deep upper trough over the Rockies advances eastward. Spotty showers will become numerous across the western counties after midnight, with liquid precipitation transitioning to mostly sleet during the overnight hours as temperatures fall below freezing. Sleet should then mix with or transition to completely snow along and west of the aforementioned line Wednesday morning as the entire column drops below 32. Precipitation should begin to taper off Wednesday afternoon as the strongest ascent shifts northeast of the region. Accumulations of sleet and snow of up to 4 inches will likely make travel on area roads extremely difficult. Farther east, precipitation will likely remain liquid overnight, but then become a mix of rain, freezing rain and sleet Wednesday morning. Impacts on bridges and overpasses will become possible generally along and west of a line from Sherman to Goldthwaite. In this area, surface temperatures will be hovering around freezing, and we will need to monitor the freezing line and possibly update the forecast based on tomorrow morning's temperature trends. This should keep most of the DFW Metroplex in the cold rain sector, the exception being parts of Tarrant and Denton Counties. East of I-35, all precipitation should remain liquid, with the exception of along the immediate Red River where a brief mix will be possible Wednesday morning. For all of the region, a brief round of light sleet or snow will be possible late Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening as the upper trough axis moves across the area, but accumulations are not expected. 30 && .LONG TERM... /Issued 203 PM CST Tue Feb 4 2020/ The strong weather system/cold front that brought a round of winter weather to much of North Texas will begin to move quickly eastward by Thursday with clear and cool conditions expected Thursday. Generally quiet weather conditions are expected through the weekend before becoming unsettled early next week. Gradual warming is expected to continue Friday and Saturday with generally south to southwest winds. Another rain free and weak surface front moves through N Texas Saturday with a reinforcing surge of cool and drier air on Sunday. Rain chances increase late Monday through Wednesday as return flow moisture and supporting upper level dynamics suggest a better than average chance of showers and thunderstorms by Wednesday. KV.92 && .AVIATION... /NEW/ /00Z TAFs/ Precipitation will increase after midnight tonight as an upper trough approaches from the west. There is still a brief window Wednesday morning where western portions of the DFW Metroplex may see a brief changeover to sleet, and will continue to show this in a TEMPO group for DFW, AFW, and FTW. There is also a potential for elevated thunder, but at this time probabilities appear too low to indicate in the TAFs. Conditions will likely deteriorate to IFR during the Wednesday morning rainfall, with improvement to MVFR expected late Wednesday afternoon. Otherwise, north to northwest winds of 10-20 kts will continue through the end of the period. 30 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Dallas-Ft. Worth 33 37 27 47 34 / 80 90 10 0 0 Waco 36 39 23 52 35 / 60 70 20 0 0 Paris 37 40 27 42 31 / 60 90 20 0 0 Denton 31 36 24 45 32 / 90 90 10 0 0 McKinney 34 37 27 45 32 / 70 90 20 0 0 Dallas 36 37 28 47 35 / 70 90 10 0 0 Terrell 37 39 28 46 32 / 60 90 20 0 0 Corsicana 38 40 30 48 35 / 50 90 20 0 0 Temple 37 39 28 53 35 / 50 60 20 0 0 Mineral Wells 29 33 21 46 30 / 100 80 10 0 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 6 PM CST Wednesday for TXZ092-093-102-103-117-118-130>132-141>143. Winter Storm Warning from midnight tonight to 6 PM CST Wednesday for TXZ091-100-101-115-116-129. && 30/22
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 1205 AM CST Wed Feb 5 2020 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-060615- Montague-Cooke-Grayson-Fannin-Lamar-Young-Jack-Wise-Denton-Collin- Hunt-Delta-Hopkins-Stephens-Palo Pinto-Parker-Tarrant-Dallas- Rockwall-Kaufman-Van Zandt-Rains-Eastland-Erath-Hood-Somervell- Johnson-Ellis-Henderson-Comanche-Mills-Hamilton-Bosque-Hill-Navarro- Freestone-Anderson-Lampasas-Coryell-Bell-McLennan-Falls-Limestone- Leon-Milam-Robertson- 1205 AM CST Wed Feb 5 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for North and Central Texas. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Wintry precipitation is beginning to develop west of I-35 and north of I-20. Most wintry weather and associated impacts are expected to remain west of I-35 and north of I-20 where a Winter Storm Warning is in effect. Travel impacts due to accumulating snow, sleet, and ice will affect the morning commute. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Tuesday. Wintry weather will continue into the day on Wednesday. Travel is expected to be impacted by accumulations of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Locations west of a line from Hamilton to Fort Worth to Sherman could be affected, with travel issues expected on bridges and overpasses. Greater impacts to main roadways are expected west of a Cisco to Bowie line. Isolated lightning strikes are also possible throughout this time period. Additional light sleet or snow is also possible late Wednesday night across portions of Central Texas, but no accumulations or impacts are expected. Low thunderstorm chances will return to the area on Monday. No severe weather is anticipated early next week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter storm, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
A total of 2-4 inches of snow fell in Young County on top of approximately 0.5-1 inch of sleet. The highest totals were across the northern half of the county. Slushy and slick roads were reported.
A mix of sleet and snow fell across Eastland County. An inch of sleet was reported in Eastland and snowfall totals up to 2 inches were reported.
A mix of sleet and snow fell across Jack County. A half inch of sleet was reported in the Bryson area and snowfall totals up to 2-3 inches were reported. The highest snowfall totals were in the northern third of the county. Hazardous travel conditions were also reported.
A 25-year old male on a motorcycle died when he lost control on a slick spot of Interstate 35 and was thrown from his bike. He was then hit by another vehicle. The incident happened near exit 346, or U.S. 77. The time is estimated from articles.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather, McLennan | 2020-02-06 | 25 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, February 2020
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 876108, 876112, 876113, 876151.