The City of Denton Fire Department took to social media today with stark photos of streets near the University at Carroll intersection, where lanes were glazed in hard sheets of ice and emergency crews crept through the mess. The scenes of fire vehicles inching along the frozen pavement quickly fed into a stream of city and county warnings telling residents to bundle up and stay off the roads. With temperatures still stuck below freezing, officials are urging people to avoid any trip that is not absolutely necessary.
Officials Urge People To Stay Off The Roads
Denton County announced that county facilities would be closed Monday and that Road and Bridge crews were treating roads around the clock, according to Denton County. The county reported only a handful of minor accidents so far, but its update warned that refreezing overnight could make conditions worse.
City Prepares Crews And Warming Centers
What The Fire Department Shared
In its Facebook post, the City of Denton Fire Department published several photos from the icy intersection and opened with the question, “How are the roads this morning?” The post tagged local partners, including the Denton Police Department and Denton Scanner, urged people to “stay home” and “stay warm,” and added the wry aside “if you like skating rinks, you’re in luck,” as the City of Denton Fire Department shows.
Weather Warnings And What To Expect
The National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office placed much of North Texas under winter-storm and extreme-cold warnings, forecasting freezing rain and sleet that could leave roadways coated and treacherous, according to NWS Fort Worth. The agency warned that ice accumulation and sub-freezing overnight temperatures could bring down tree limbs and cause power outages.
Local Impact And Community Response
Local reporting noted that Denton County had activated emergency operations and that crews were staffing warming centers while many residents reported slick hills and stalled vehicles, per the Cross Timbers Gazette. The outlet said the county urged people to remain home if possible while crews continue treating roads…