If you were out and about Wednesday morning, there’s a good chance you saw a flurry or two.
DALLAS — While the winter weather this week is mostly a cold event — not ice or snow — North Texas still got a taste of winter precipitation Wednesday morning: Light snow flurries were falling across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
For the most part, the flurries were too light, and the conditions too dry, for much of it to accumulate. But if you were out and about Wednesday morning, there’s a good chance you saw a flurry or two.
WFAA Meteorologist Mariel Ruiz explains what we’re seeing and why:
If you are near a lake and downwind, this is likely lake-effect snow. The 30-35 mph winds may be enough to carry some flurries to nearby neighborhoods.
If you are not near a lake, this snow is not lake effect. The light “snow drizzle” is actually coming from snow grains developing at the base of a temperature inversion. In this case, it is an elevated shallow layer of warm, humid air sitting on top of cold, dry air we feel at the surface.
As the snow grains develop and fall, they’ll mostly evaporate. The ones that do make it to the ground won’t stick to roads. It is a bit too dry for any significant accumulation. For heavier snow to occur, the snow development needs much more moisture and it needs to occur higher up in the atmosphere.
Now even if the snow wasn’t sticking, the cold temperatures weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Temperatures are expected to remain around freezing until Thursday, and even then, it won’t warm up much.
