The latest wave of wintry precipitation has left some travelers stranded in Fort Worth, as others brave icy conditions to get to their destinations.
Eric Fink left Austin early Wednesday morning to get to South Dakota, where he said he will visit national parks.
“Nothing says adventure time like driving a 40-year-old car 1,400 miles in an ice storm, but whatever. Should be fun,” Fink said.
A Winter Storm Warning and Ice Storm Warning remained in effect for portions of North Texas until 9 a.m. Thursday. Fink said he plans to drive to either Kansas or Nebraska by the end of Wednesday and reach South Dakota by Thursday.
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“Main rule. Don’t hit the breaks. Don’t hit the breaks. If you need to slow down, downshift,” he said. “Stay away from everyone else. Give yourself plenty of space. Or, if you’re really smart and don’t know what you’re doing, stay home.”
For days, emergency officials have been urging drivers to stay off the roads unless travel is absolutely necessary.
Truck driver Miguel Gomez drove from El Paso on Monday to make his delivery. As weather conditions worsened in North Texas, Gomez said traffic came to a standstill.
“It wasn’t moving at all. Next thing I know, I was stranded. I just pulled over the shoulder. I crashed there,” Gomez said. “I was just about to leave this morning, and I got stuck. I got stranded.”
The warehouse he is delivering to is closed until at least Thursday, Gomez said. His truck has been struck in the same spot since Tuesday.
“A little bit uphill makes it harder. Ice didn’t help,” he said. “This is probably one of the worst. I have never been stuck like this. I have been to Chicago. I have been to Milwaukee. You name it. Big cities where they got the big heavy snow. I have been there. Done that.”
For most of Wednesday, highways in parts of Tarrant County have been largely passable. Though, some slick spots remain. Access and side roads have been icy, while sheets of ice glazed over many parking lots.
Steve Prins works as an aircraft mechanic. He’s been working in far north Fort Worth for the past month and had hoped to fly back home from Alliance Airport to Beaumont on Wednesday.
“The [airport runway] ramp is like this,” Prins said, referring to an icy gas station parking lot. “It’s like an ice skating rink. So I think tomorrow is our best bet.”
The NWS warns that travel could be nearly impossible through Wednesday night and will remain dangerous into Thursday morning.
