lots of snow acoming, record snowfall to hit lubbock Options

[jwttu]

More than foot of snow possible for area
BY ROBIN BRISCOE
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Lubbock may soon be hit with the second-biggest snowstorm in local history, weather experts said.

The storm is expected to roll into the South Plains tonight and last through the weekend.

The National Weather Service is predicting a total of 12 to 16 inches of snow over the entire weekend, said Shawn Ellis, a weather service meteorologist in Lubbock.

"People should take this pretty seriously and prepare for heavy snowfall," he said. "It looks likely that we could see some pretty big snow."

He said the potential storm could affect travel, livestock and pets.

Robin Biscoe / Staff
Residents prepare to be snowed in this weekend. Many packed into the Market Street on 50th Street and Indiana Avenue on Wednesday evening to stock up on food. A major snowstorm could hit Lubbock tonight and last through Saturday.
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The largest recorded snowstorm in Lubbock happened in early 1983, when 16.9 inches fell, Ellis said.

The weather service's winter storm watch will go into effect late tonight and last through Saturday afternoon.

The storm is expected to slowly move into the South Plains, with between one-half and 1 inch of snow predicted by Friday morning, Ellis said, but it may hit hard later Friday. The heaviest snow is expected around noon Friday with a possibility of between 8 and 10 inches falling during the afternoon.

Driving conditions may be hazardous, and the Texas Department of Transportation discourages travel. Those who must be on the roads are urged to drive with caution.

TxDot and the city of Lubbock said they will try to keep streets as safe as possible, and both plan to have workers out around the clock.

"We will be out there," said Penny Mason, TxDot spokeswoman. "When we get storms of this magnitude our guys have to stay out all the time."

To check airline flight status

• American Eagle - 1-800-433-7300.

• Continental - 1-800-525-0280.

• Southwest - 1-800-435-9792.
Keith Baker, the city's interim streets superintendant, said Lubbock will have between eight and nine trucks salting thoroughfares during the span of the storm.

"The intersections on the main streets, that's what we concentrate on," Baker said. "If we get overwhelmed, intersections come first, then we go back."

The city does not plan to salt residential roadways.

If the storm lasts longer than two or three days, the city may not have enough resources and could potentially run out of salt, Baker said.

TxDot is better prepared. Mason said the department already has plenty of de-icing material - it received a large shipment Wednesday and is expecting more today. But it will treat Loop 289, Interstate 27 and other state highways first. Rural roads may not get as much attention, Mason said.

The weather service predicts the snowstorm will taper off Saturday evening, with a chance of light snow Sunday.

School district representatives have not yet decided if there will be school delays or cancellations Friday.

Residents scheduled to fly out of Lubbock this weekend need to check with their individual airline regarding flight status. An official at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport did not know how the possible snowstorm would affect flights.

Winter storm watch

• Tonight through Saturday afternoon, in the following counties: Parmer, Castro, Swisher, Briscoe, Hall, Childress, Bailey, Lamb, Hale, Floyd, Motley, Cottle, Cochran, Hockley, Lubbock, Crosby, Dickens, King, Yoakum, Terry, Lynn, Garza, Kent, Stonewall.

• Widespread snow accumulations of 6 inches are expected; some areas may get more.Source: National Weather Service Texas troublesHere's a look at how Wednesday's wintry blast affected the state.

• Deaths - At least nine deaths in Texas have been attributed to the wintry weather since the weekend.

• Airports - About 250 flights were canceled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Delays were running from 45 minutes to two hours. Twenty-three of Wednesday's first 25 scheduled departures from San Antonio International Airport were canceled. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport canceled 102 flights. Delays at Houston's two major airports ranged from 15 minutes to two hours.

• Power outages - About 17,000 CPS Energy customers in San Antonio lost power. About 3,500 Austin Energy customers were out of service. About 2,500 homes and businesses served by TXU Electric Delivery Service lost power early Wednesday, most in the southern part of the state.

Associated Press

To comment on this story:

robin.briscoe@lubbockonline.com 766-8742

[schwab]

and i already saw 4 snow plows when i was driving on the loop....maybe they mgiht actually do their job unlike last snowfall