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North Texas under ice storm warning. How is that different from a winter storm warning?

Most of North Texas is under an ice storm warning Wednesday following two days of winter storm warnings.

Here’s the difference. The winter storm warning was issued for periods of mixed precipitation, which included sleet and freezing rain. The ice storm warning signals a transition to mostly freezing rain, with significant ice accumulation expected.

The ice storm is expected to cause tree breakage and localized power outages and make road conditions worse. Any roads that were drivable on Tuesday are likely to become impassable Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

What’s the difference between sleet and freezing rain? Sleet occurs when snowflakes melt into raindrops as they fall from clouds but refreeze into ice pellets before they hit surfaces. Freezing rain involves raindrops that refreeze as they hit the ground or other surfaces such as power lines, coating them in ice.

The ice storm warning is scheduled to continue through 6 a.m. Thursday for the following counties: Tarrant, Dallas, Collin, Denton, Hood, Johnson, Parker, Wise, Somervell, Young, Jack, Stephens, Palo Pinto, Eastland, Erath, Comanche, Cooke, Montague, Grayson, Mills, Hamilton and Bosque counties.

Additional ice accumulations of half an inch are possible.

Weather watches and warnings

A live data feed from the National Weather Service containing official weather warnings, watches, and advisory statements. Tap warning areas for more details. Sources: NOAA, National Weather Service, NOAA GeoPlatform and Esri.

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