Icy roads lead to crashes, school closings in Texas Panhandle Wednesday

This story has been updated with additional information.

Several school districts in the Texas Panhandle were closed Wednesday due to icy road conditions, and authorities were warning people to stay off the roads after responding to numerous accidents due to hazardous travel.

So far, several school districts, including Boys Ranch, Groom, Panhandle, Vega, White Deer, have announced delayed starts of 10 a.m. for Thursday. Grandview-Hopkins has cancelled classes for Thursday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) Amarillo office said in a 4:30 p.m. update that “Bitterly cold temperatures will begin this evening and drop down into the single digits and negative temperatures for tonight’s lows. The wind chill values tomorrow morning will plummet to the negatives; 0 to -5 in the south and -6 to -15 in the north. Ice may still be present on roads that have not thawed out today.”

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Amarillo office said in a 2:30 p.m. update that their crews continued to patrol and clear roadways to make them as safe as possible for the traveling public. “We’re still strongly advising drivers to stay off the roadways unless it’s an absolute emergency.” Among other safety tips, TxDOT urged motorists to atay a safe distance — at least 200 feet — away from snowplows and other TxDOT vehicles as they treat roadways.

Amarillo College (AC) said in a weather alert all of its campuses are closed as of noon Wednesday due to the weather, including in Hereford and Amarillo: “Please use caution walking and driving.”

In addition, West Texas A&M University (WT) in Canyon and the Harrington Academic Hall in Amarillo will be closing at 2 p.m. Wednesday, and students should check with faculty regarding course alternatives. WT said campus status for Thursday, Feb. 13 will be communicated by 6 a.m.; further updates will be shared via email, the WT home page, WT social media and the Safe Zone app and texts.

“Due to the icy road conditions, DPS is responding to multiple vehicle crashes across the district, most of which have occurred on I-40 in every county,” Sgt. Cindy Barkley with the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a 9:30 a.m. update, advising people to stay home if possible.

Those who must travel are urged to take it slow and allow plenty of room between them and the vehicle in front of theirs. “Don’t use your cruise control or brake suddenly. Be patient and give yourself ample time to get where you are going. Drive safely. Drive smart.”

Earlier in the day in Hartley County, both directions of US 54, just west of FM 767 to the New Mexico state line, were closed around 10 a.m. due to multiple semi-truck crashes, TxDOT said. Travelers were asked to avoid the area while crews worked to clear the scene.

Parts of the northern region of the Texas Panhandle will be under a Cold Weather Advisory from 8 p.m. Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday. The rest of the region was under a Hazardous Weather Outlook.

A Winter Weather Advisory was in effect until noon Wednesday, with mixed precipitation including ice and snow accumulations possible for parts of the Texas Panhandle and the entire Oklahoma Panhandle.

NWS Amarillo said in an earlier update on social media that “Freezing drizzle continues this morning across the combined Panhandles, and temperatures continue to drop. This will make ice build up even easier on untreated roads, especially on bridges!” In addition to the slick roads Wednesday morning, NWS Amarillo noted that cold temperatures and wind chills were a concern, with highs expected in the 20s to low 30s.

The drivetexas.org map showed multiple roadways in the region impacted by patches of ice and snow.

School districts were either closed or in the process of cancelling classes Wednesday due to the deteroriating weather conditions.

Those who were closed include:

• Amarillo College campus in Dumas

• Fort Elliott CISD – “Students picked up on buses will be delivered home.”

• Plemons-Stinnett-Phillips ISD

Other schools were running on two-hour delays.

The Student Council Conference in Amarillo at the Civic Center was cancelled due to icy travel conditions.

This is a developing story; more information will be added as it becomes available.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Schools close due to hazardous icy conditions in Texas Panhandle