North Texans woke Wednesday morning to an unusual sight for December -- big, big snowflakes falling across the Metroplex.
Dallas Love Field officially reported 0.2 inches of snow, and Fort Worth Alliance reported 0.3 inches. The heaviest snow fell to the north and west of the Metroplex.
The snow took University of North Texas students by surprise.
"It's a winter wonderland outside," Tress Mattingly said. "I looked out my window and there was snow on the grass. I'm from Florida, so it was a really big deal."
"I'm from Pennsylvania, so seeing the snow helped me feel more at home, so it was nice," Julianna Emanski said.
Parts of Montague, Cooke, Wise, Jack, Parker and Palo Pinto Counties reported more than 1 inch of snow. The highest snowfall total was in Jacksboro, where residents had 3 inches of snow.
The light snowfall prompted some schools to close or delay their start time. See a complete list here.
State and city road crews prepared Wednesday for more winter weather.
"We've updated our route maps to reflect any changes that occurred since our last rain event," said Gilbert Aguillar, Dallas street director. "We've been servicing our equipment and training our personnel."
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The Texas Department of Transportation said it is ready if roads ice overnight.
"Our maintenance offices took out the equipment, started inventorying everything, inventoried our stockpiles," TxDOT spokeswoman Michelle Releford said.
Ice is the the main problem during freezes. North Texas does not have snowplows, but uses de-icing chemicals mixed with salt and sand to clear roads.
"We never get a ton of snow," Releford said. "The plows really aren't used for ice; it tears up the roadway more than we would save by keeping the roads open that way."
Road crews say people should have antifreeze and the right kind of windshield-wiper fluid in their car.
Freeze Warning for North Texas
Wednesday's snow melted quickly as the snow returned to rain before coming to an end in the afternoon. Gusty northwest winds pulled cold Canadian air into North Texas. Some of the coldest air of the season will arrive Wednesday night.
A freeze warning is in effect for the Metroplex for late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. For residents along and east of Interstate 35 this will be the first freeze of the season. Morning temperatures will be near or below freezing through Saturday.
The average date for the first freeze is Nov. 22. Areas west of the Metroplex have already seen their first freeze, but Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has not officially reached the 32-degree mark. On Nov. 18, Denton recorded a temperature of 32 degrees, and Granbury dropped to 29 degrees.
With cold air in place, a second winter weather event will unfold at the end of this week. On Friday, snow is expected across the Metroplex. Most locations will only see flurries, but areas south could receive 1 to 2 inches of snow.
The last time DFW Airport recorded an inch of snow was March 6, 2008. The average snowfall for December in North Texas is 1/10th of an inch
Typically, the heaviest snowfall in DFW occurs in January and February, but 5 inches were recorded to have fallen in November 1976.
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