If you've risen and headed straight for your laptop and have yet to crack open the blinds, then gird yourself: It is snowing outside in Dallas. Also in Plano, Fort Worth and across the entire DFW area.
The City of Dallas' Department of Street Services issued an alert, saying that it has been monitoring bridges, overpasses and inclines overnight and early this morning. "Street Services has now activated its sanding operations Ice Force Level 1 throughout the city to make the roads safe for motorists," it reads.
"Ice Force Level 1 means we have 30 sanding units throughout the city, sanding as needed to address any hazards," says Dallas spokesman Dennis Ware.
Ice Force Level 1 – sounds like we need a battalion of starship troopers. City spokesman Dennis Ware says it's an indicator of how many sand trucks have been deployed.
"Ice Force Level 1 means we have 30 sanding units throughout the city, sanding as needed to address any hazards," Ware says. "Level 1 is the first sanding operation. We can go up to a level 2."
Level 2 is the highest. "Level 2 would double the size, to 75 units," Ware says. "When we're at Ice Force Level 1, we rotate 12-hour shifts until the problem doesn't exist anymore."
A winter weather advisory issued for Wise, Denton, Collin and Parker counties is in effect until 2 pm, according to the National Weather Service.
Local drivers' inability to navigate even the slightest precipitation caused a major cluster on the North Dallas Tollway. According to WFAA, the Fort Worth Police Department was responding to 36 accidents at about 9:40 am, with an estimated 155 accidents since midnight.
"The 1 centimeter of snow we've received has gnarled traffic in North Dallas," quipped Twitterer Rob Hays.
The snow was forecast and is supposed to taper off later this afternoon, Ware says. "But we’ll continue at force 1 until the hazard abates."
A light dusting of snow over Dallas on February 6.
