(The Center Square) – Thundersleet and snow hit most of Texas Saturday and the early morning hours Sunday as an Arctic blast has impacted most of the state.
Massive lightning storms and torrential downpours hit Austin, Houston and other parts of the state, turning rain into sleet, creating dangerous road conditions. In north Texas and the Panhandle, Texans got inches of snow with many residents posting videos of Texans skiing and ice skating on residential streets.
“Truly one of the wildest weather spectacles I’ve covered. Rain, then freezing rain, then several hours of sleet (including thundersleet), and now back to full on moderate rain with rumbles,” Max Crawford, chief meteorologist at KBTX News, said.
The National Weather Service covering Austin and San Antonio posted pictures and videos of sleet and ice covered roads. “The icy roads will continue to result in travel impacts today and in some areas through Monday morning. Avoid travel if possible, particularly across the Hill Country and Austin,” it said.
1015 AM – Jan 25: TXDOT cameras around the region showing sleet and ice covered roads. The icy roads will continue to result in travel impacts today and in some areas through Monday morning. Avoid travel if possible, particularly across the Hill Country and Austin. pic.twitter.com/eiIGmYvel8— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) January 25, 2026
Most of the Dallas-Fort Worth area saw up to two inches of sleet, reaching five inches north of the metroplex, Fox 4 KDFW reported. “Driving conditions are currently at their worst across North and Central Texas due to significant ice and sleet. Travel remains dangerous and is discouraged through Monday as temperatures stay below freezing.”
The arctic blast has brought single-digit temperatures and life-threatening wind chills to the region as low as 12 degrees below zero.
In the Panhandle, wind chills were 20 below zero, ABC 7 News Amarillo Affiliate Chief Meteorologist Corbin Voges said. “The bigger story over the next 24 hours will be the heavy snow in the southeast Texas panhandle. … Areas from Dimmitt to Tulia to Childress and Shamrock could see an additional 5 to 8 inches overnight tonight on top of what has already fallen.”
“Record low temperatures are also possible the next few nights. Dalhart and Borger have already seen daily record lows while Amarillo has shattered the daily minimum high temperature of 16 degrees. Right now, we do not expect Amarillo to get back above freezing until Tuesday afternoon.”
In Houston and southeast Texas, thundersleet also hit the region Saturday and in the early Sunday morning hours. Multiple winter hazards and an ice storm warning are in effect for the region. Significant icing is expected in several counties with “dangerous to near impossible travel conditions and power disruptions” expected, the National Weather Service said. Power outages and tree damage are also expected due to ice.
Up to 200,000 CenterPoint Energy customers in the Houston region are expected to lose power, Senior Vice President Keith Stevens said in a press conference Saturday night. CenterPoint has stationed 3,300 workers across the Houston area to restore power. Power is expected to be restored within 12 hours. Customers also received text and email notifications stating they should expect higher than normal energy bills.
A freeze warning is also in effect for the Rio Grande Valley, where temperatures are expected to reach 23 degrees and windchills 13 degrees, the NWS said.
The El Paso region is expected to get several inches of snow with temperatures dropping to 26 degrees on Sunday. A winter advisory also remains in effect.
Gov. Greg Abbott earlier in the week issued a disaster declaration for nearly all counties in the state and surged emergency resources and personnel.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a weather watch for Jan. 24-27 and has said there is enough power to sustain peak demand.
However, on Saturday, it requested Energy Secretary Chris Wright to issue an order under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act authorizing ERCOT to direct the deployment of customer-owned backup generation facilities if needed to avoid or mitigate issuing an emergency alert in response to extreme winter conditions hitting Texas.
ERCOT’s latest forecasts “indicate a projected demand of approximately 84,000 MW on Monday morning and approximately 81,000 MW on Tuesday morning, both exceeding ERCOT’s winter peak demand record of 80,560 set in February 2025. This extreme level of demand raises a significant risk of emergency conditions that could jeopardize electric reliability and public safety,” it said.
In response, Wright issued an emergency order on the same day to deploy backup generation resources to mitigate potential blackouts in Texas.
ERCOT also issued a warning on Saturday to Texans to “Be cautious of false information and entities impersonating ERCOT during this winter storm. ERCOT does not send text messages to share information on grid conditions. ERCOT communicates grid condition information through our official communication channels, including our website (http://ercot.com), Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS), Emergency Alerts, social media channels, and the ERCOT mobile app.”
