Snow Beautiful on Christmas Eve, a Headache for Travelers

Snow gave way to sun on Friday

A record-setting snowfall delighted North Texans on holiday and frustrated people trying to travel on Christmas Eve.

In Dallas-Fort Worth, snowfall totals ranged between 2 to 3 inches, but further west snow totals topped 8 inches.

Christmas Eve winter storm travel delays prompted Gov. Rick Perry to activate emergency resources.

The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Minnesota.

Perry on Thursday afternoon activated some military personnel and high profile vehicles, as a precaution, to assist motorists. Perry cited blizzard conditions on stretches of Highway 84.

Dallas police and sheriff's deputies were busy responding to more than 370 accidents as the wet roads turned icy when the temperature dropped below freezing.

In Frisco, three people were killed when their car spun into oncoming traffic on Highway 380 between the Dallas Tollway and Preston Road.

A Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport spokesman says 28 departing flights were canceled Christmas Day. Airport spokesman David Magana on Friday blamed the cancellations on planes that never arrived because of Thursday night's winter storm. Additional flight delays throughout the day were less than an hour but the majority of planes "were pretty much on time," he said.
 

Fort Worth-based American Airlines offered travelers the chance to change their weather-affected flights with no penalty.

Early Friday morning, travelers had a tough time just getting to the airport. The bridges that lead to its terminals were closed for a couple of hours because they were covered in ice. Motorists had to take longer, surface road detours. By 11 a.m. all the roads were clear, Magana said.

At Love Field, Southwest had only a few delays. The Dallas-based airline advised travelers to be aware of possible delays or cancellations, especially in storm-swept areas such as Minneapolis, Kansas City and Omaha, Neb.

The only white left on Christmas day was what was left over from the Thursday's snow showers. The sun came out and started melting the snow but the cold temperatures are expected to last through the weekend.
 

Copyright The Associated Press
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