Our well-advertised cold front is making good strides across the northern half of the state this morning. Temperatures in Amarillo have dropped down into the teens already with winds gusting around 30mph.   As suspected, frontal timing has been bumped up a bit from yesterday which will bring the front into the DFW metro area by noon, Waco by evening time, and encroaching on the greater Houston metro area just before midnight.  Folks behind the front so far this morning have seen temperatures drop a good 20 degrees within about 20 minutes after its passage.  Winds behind the front are expected to be quite blustery with 20-30mph sustained winds with higher gusts.

Fortunately, winter weather impacts are expected to be minimal with this front and will be relegated to just the Texas panhandle region.  Light snow is expected to begin falling across the region from west to east within the next couple of hours and should end by sunset.  Highest accumulations will be across the far northern Texas panhandle up into the Oklahoma panhandle where 2-3 inch accumulations are possible. Further south and into the Amarillo area, around an inch will be possible.  Due to the high winds expected today, and the fact that the snow itself will be on the dry side, much of the snow will likely just blow off the roads, so icy or slushy pavement will not be much of an issue.

Wind chill is the biggest issue today, tonight and into tomorrow.  Dangerous wind chill values between 15 and 20 below zero will impact much of the panhandle overnight.  For northern Texas, we’ll be looking at wind chills in the single digits.  Across central Texas, chills will fall into the teens.  Definitely a good night just to say inside and catch a movie by the fireplace.  If you absolutely must head out for work or other business, remember to dress in layers and wear gloves and winter boots. Also remember to wear a hat since most of your body heat is lost through your head.

Temperatures by Sunday morning will bottom out just at or below zero for the panhandle, in the teens for northern Texas, 20s for central Texas and just above freezing for much of the southeast and south central coastal regions.  Even deep south Texas will feel some effects from this front and will drop down into the 40s. Highs on Sunday won’t get above freezing for much of the northern half of the state, and even coastal and deep south Texas will see highs only in the low to mid 40s.