LIVE UPDATES: North Texas braces for at least another day of severe winter weather

A blanket of sleet and ice blankets much of north Texas after a winter rainstorm that began Monday. Another band of freezing rain and sleet is expected by Wednesday.

The National Weather Service issued an ice storm warning for counties west of I-35W on Wednesday.

School districts, businesses and government agencies across the region have announced closures for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Gov. Greg Abbott held a news conference Tuesday morning, ensuring the state’s power grid and natural gas supply “will be ready and will remain reliable” throughout the winter storm.

Here are more updates on how this storm is affecting North Texas:

Tarrant County will close all government buildings Wednesday – January 31 at 3:06 p.m

Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare announced that all government buildings will close on Wednesday, February 1st.

— KERA News

Hundreds of flight cancellations and delays at DFW and Love Field airports – Jan 31, 2:30 p.m

By midday, tracking service FlightAware said more than 800 flights to and from DFW Airport had been canceled on Tuesday, with more than 270 scrubbed into and out of Love Field. That is almost twice as much as was canceled at both airports on Monday.

Southwest Airlines alone had to cancel more than 500 flights and delay another 250 on Tuesday.

Those flight disruptions followed a planned collapse of the Dallas-based carrier last month. It also started with a winter storm, but problems continued after most other airlines recovered.

— Sam Baker, managing editor and anchor of the morning edition

All municipal facilities in Denton are closed on Tuesday – January 31, 2:21 p.m

Stuart Birdseye, spokesman for the city of Denton, said the city is closing all city amenities, including recreation centers and libraries, on Tuesday.

He also said anyone who needs housing in Denton can go to the Our Daily Bread community shelter at 28 North Loop. The property offers overnight accommodation and meals.

Birdseye said the city is keeping an eye on Wednesday’s closures.

— Mya Nicholson, accountability reporter at Denton

Storm Shelters Fill in Dallas as Freezing Rain and Ice Continue to Pummel City – Jan. 31 2:03 p.m

The city of Dallas activated several weather shelters as of Monday, but they are nearly full. When the capacity of the main emergency shelters started, the city opened the Central Library as an emergency shelter.

Christine Crossley, director of the Homeless Solutions Office, said her team continues to monitor the storm and is adjusting accordingly.

“When we reach capacity in the library, we’ll look at what’s next,” Crossley said. “Right now I think we’ll be fine because as bad as it is, it’s not really predicted that it’s going to be all that many more days.”

The city is also distributing relief supplies to help people on the streets keep warm.

— Nathan Collins, Dallas accountability reporter

The Fort Worth Fire Department is releasing an incident report from the storm Monday – January 31 at 1:41 p.m

The Fort Worth Fire Department reported more than 140 auto accidents citywide Monday, along with four fires and six calls related to cold weather exposure.

Craig Trojacek, the department’s spokesman, said Tuesday’s figures were still being received, but so far firefighters have been responding to fewer calls as residents stayed off the streets.

Trojacek advised residents to plan ahead and watch out for icy bridges, hills, and low-lying areas.

“If you have to travel, really think about that route before you leave home,” Trojacek said. “Only slow and steady wins the race.”

Trojacek also said residents should take precautions when using gas heaters and other gas-powered appliances, including updating their smoke detectors.

— Pablo Arauz Peña, Breaking News reporter

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