Daily Archives: December 25, 2009

The Climategate scandal has shown us that the global warming crowd is full of hot air,  and here we are in America,  seeing that  all over the world,  areas that do not ordinarily see snow are getting snow.  If there is anyone that now doubts that the earth is cooling,  then you must be the president of the Dumbfuckers Club.   JD

A Christmas Eve blizzard made a mess of holiday travel plans, stranding motorists, forcing flight cancellations, canceling church services and raising concerns about roadways on Christmas morning.

Bridges to D/FW Airport terminals were reported closed early today due to the icy road conditions, Fox 4 News said. The National Weather Service said the icy roads would persist into the mid- to late-morning hours, making for hazardous driving conditions, especially on bridges and under overpasses. The airport was hoping to reopen bridges by noon, Fox 4 said.

Despite the winter weather havoc, many North Texans were excited about waking up to a very rare event: a white Christmas. Snow fell heavily through the day and early evening Thursday, and overnight temperatures in the 20s made it possible for the fluffiness to stick around. Sunny skies and higher temperatures should melt the snow away by late-morning, the weather service said today.

More than 2 inches of snow was recorded at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport on Thursday, according to the weather service. Areas to the northwest were walloped, with 8 inches falling in Nocona in Montague County and 5 to 6 inches in Wichita Falls.

Gusts of 50 mph caused blizzard conditions rarely seen in North Texas.

“It’s extremely rare,” said Daniel Huckaby, a weather service meteorologist in Fort Worth. “To get both the heavy snow and high winds that cause a blizzard is a very unique event here in Texas.”

Dallas-Fort Worth last flirted with a snowy Christmas in 2004 and 1997.

But the last time the Metroplex was socked with a true, New England-style dose of snow on Christmas Day was Dec. 25, 1926.

“I think it’s more in the Christmas spirit. It is beautiful,” said Connie Smith, 41, of Fort Worth, who loaded groceries from Central Market into her car during the snowstorm. “I can’t believe it was 70 yesterday and snowing today.”

However pretty, the storm caused headaches for holiday travelers. Some highways were clogged with snow, and jackknifed 18-wheelers. At D/FW Airport, 150 flights were canceled, and 18 other aircraft had to be diverted to another airport Thursday.

Those scheduled to fly out today were advised to check D/FW’s Web site or call their airline to check on delays before heading to the airport.

Treacherous roads

In Cisco, about 110 miles west of Fort Worth, the closure of Interstate 20 prompted authorities to seek shelter for stranded motorists.

“With four-wheel drives, they’re going around and pulling people out of ditches and getting them moving again. The ones that end up in town, they just call around to churches and schools and wherever they can get inside,” said Sandra Parker, a Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman based in nearby Brownwood.

Near Wichita Falls, blizzard conditions pummeled the area around lunchtime, stranding travelers in ditches and causing long traffic jams. Visibility was down to about 100 yards, authorities said.

“We’ve got cars in bar ditches, cars in parking lots that can’t get out — it’s not a pretty sight,” said Department of Public Safety senior trooper Tony Fulton.