This story will be continuously updated as new information becomes available.
Although the historic winter storm is over in D-FW, residents throughout the region are still trying to gain access back to electricity and drinking water. At least 15 cities in North Texas have issued a boil water order as of Thursday.
Around 5:30 a.m., there were about 150,000 remaining Oncor customers without power due to damage from the storm and bitter cold temps. The good news, however, is Oncor announced rolling and controlled power outages will come to an end. More power plants have come back online and demand has stabilized.
Those who still have electricity and water have been asked to conserve their use and, if all possible, donate to those who are in need at this time.
In addition to conserving electricity, officials with water and natural gas utilities are also asking Texans to practice conservation of those resources as power outages place additional pressure on the services.
Many school districts have also announced closures due to the outages, including Dallas and Fort Worth ISDs, which said they would be closed Thursday.
Key links:
Remember to download the WFAA app for the latest need-to-know weather and power updates. You can also check one of our dozens of local radars near you, the latest forecast, weather cameras, and current conditions.
Boil order
Many cities in North Texas are under notice to boil their water prior to consumption, including when washing their hands/face, brushing their teeth, and drinking water.
Power outages across the region have impacted water treatment plants in several areas, forcing cities to issue boil orders.
The cities impacted include:
- Anna
- Arlington
- Benbrook
- Boyd
- Denton
- Fannin County, includes: Ector, Leonard, Savoy, Windom
- Fort Worth
- Greenville
- Haslet
- Keller
- Kennedale
- Lewisville
- Mesquite
- Mustang Special Utility District
- North Richland Hills
- Princeton
- River Oaks
- Springtown
- University Park
Texans under the orders should boil their water for at least two minutes prior to drinking it, washing with it, or brushing their teeth, according to officials. Water should be boiled vigorously and then cooled before it is consumed.
Forecast
North Texas is headed in the right direction, but temps will still stay below freezing until Friday afternoon.
Temps this morning will fall down into the lower 20s with afternoon highs on Thursday getting close to freezing but probably staying just below.
Overnight into Friday morning will see temps fall into the low teens, but good news arrives Friday afternoon!
Temps will warm above freezing Friday afternoon with highs in the 30s and sunshine to go around.
Temps will warm even more by the weekend with highs in the 40s and 50s for Saturday and Sunday.
Power issues
Officials are urging Texans to conserve electricity as the grid faces unprecedented demand from the storm aftermath and a lower-than-normal electrical generation due to offline coal and natural gas facilities, as well as frozen turbines.
AT&T waives data overages through Sunday
AT&T is waiving data overage charges for customers in more than 2,400 zip codes across Texas through Sunday.
The company said it will automatically waive overage charges for AT&T wireless customers with billing addresses and prepaid customers with phone numbers in zip codes impacted directly. Click here to view the zip codes.
Officials also said the network across impacted areas is performing well at 99% of normal with 75% of sites have been restored since peak impact.
Flight delays
There have been thousands of flight cancellations and delays in the Dallas-Fort Worth area as the area deals with the wintry weather. Officials are urging any passengers to confirm their flight status before departing for the airport.
Check for delays and cancellations:
North Texas school closures
Major districts that have canceled class Thursday
- Arlington ISD -through Friday
- Argyle ISD- through Friday
- Cedar Hill ISD -through Friday
- Dallas ISD - closed Thursday
- Duncanville ISD- through Friday
- Frisco ISD- Thursday
- Fort Worth ISD - closed through Friday
- Garland ISD - closed through Friday
- Graford ISD
- Grand Prairie ISD - closed through Friday
- Lewisville ISD- closed until Monday
- Northwest ISD
- Plano ISD- closed through Friday
- Richardson ISD- closed through Friday
- SMU - closed through Friday
- University of North Texas campuses (Dallas and Denton) will be closed through Saturday, Feb. 20.
Vaccine clinics
Many vaccine clinics across North Texas are closing or rescheduling due to the weather. Below are some that have announced closures.
- Fair Park vaccine operations will remain closed through Saturday, Feb. 20, but will reopen on Sunday, Feb. 21 from 1-6 p.m., the City of Dallas said Thursday. Those five hours will be for people who were due for their second dose of the vaccine before Friday, Feb. 12. The City asks you to arrive at the clinic between 1-3 p.m. if your last name starts with the letters A-M, and if your last name starts with N-Z, to arrive between 3:30-6 p.m. On Monday, Feb. 22, the site will administer second doses to those due on or before Sunday, Feb. 13.
- The CDC has delayed vaccine shipments to Texas due to the winter storm until Wednesday at the earliest, depending on the weather. The same total amount is expected, just at a later date. The state is worried small providers could spoil doses if the power goes out and is asking them to transfer or use doses immediately.
- Parkland drive-thru vaccination and walk-up COVID-19 test centers: The Ellis Davis Field House and Dallas College Eastfield Campus (Mesquite) COVID-19 vaccine drive-through locations operated by Parkland closed through Friday.
- Anyone with COVID-19 vaccination appointments on Friday at the locations listed above should go to Parkland Memorial Hospital at 5200 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, 75235 at their designated appointment time instead.
- The COVID-19 testing sites operated by Parkland at Sam Tasby Middle School in Dallas, Irving Health Center, and West Dallas Multipurpose Center will be closed through Friday.
CVS vaccine clinics
CVS Pharmacy has closed or reduced hours in stores in states where locations are without power or due to severe weather conditions and local states of emergency. A large percentage of the affected locations are in Texas.
"We are closely monitoring the situation to learn when full electrical service is expected to be restored and will reopen stores when our employees can safely resume our service to local communities," the company said.
Anyone with a scheduled vaccination appointment in a store that was closed will be contacted with a new appointment time or instructions to reschedule when appointments are available.
"If a patient notifies a pharmacy that they cannot make their scheduled vaccination appointment, on a case-by-case basis our team will work with them directly to try to reschedule them," CVS said.
RELATED: How next week's wintry weather is impacting COVID-19 vaccination efforts across North Texas
Texas COVID-19 updates
The Texas Department of State Health Services said the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths reported will likely be artificially low due to power outages across the state.
Health officials said they cannot update lab and testing data at this time.
DART
Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail service will remain suspended on Thursday.
Beginning Thursday, DART buses will continue service on a Saturday schedule with limited additional service on local routes 63 and 362, from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
DART is also running an additional 14 shuttle bus routes. The Operating Scenario 2 shuttle bus routes are available here.
Trinity Metro
On Thursday, Trinity Metro TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express (TRE) will resume service with modified schedules. Click here for the full schedule.
Passengers with questions can call customer service representatives at the following phone numbers:
General Trinity Metro service inquiries: 817-944-9145
Trinity Metro ACCESS paratransit services – 817-983-8908
Trinity Railway Express
TRE will operate service on a Saturday schedule beginning Thursday. There may be delays depending on weather conditions.
People can register for TRE alerts or DART alerts for the latest updates and service changes.
Texas DPS
All North Texas DPS offices will be closed Thursday and Friday.
Road closures
Drivers can find information on road conditions throughout the state on DriveTexas.org or by calling 800-452-9292.