Snow Accumulates in West Texas and More Expected Friday

Friday, November 23rd 2007, 5:41 am

By: News On 6

Cold weather finally came to Texas on Thursday, ending an unseasonably warm November with a taste of winter-like conditions and as much as 8 inches of snow falling in the Big Spring area, according to the National Weather Service.

The state's hardest-hit spot appeared to be an area southeast of Big Spring, where between 7 and 8 inches of snow fell Thursday, said Eric Platt, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Midland. There were some reports of weather-related traffic accidents but no road closures, said a dispatcher with the Howard County Sheriff's Department.

In the Permian Basin areas, west of Big Spring, residents took advantage of the snowfall.

``We didn't know when it would snow again, so we made the most of it and made a nine-foot snowman,'' Chris Brown told the Odessa American in a story posted on its Web site.

The 40-mile stretch between Sweetwater and Abilene picked up between 2 inches and 4 inches of snow, said Jason Dunn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

There were no road closures reported there Thursday evening, but the heavy snowfall did lead to some minor weather-related traffic accidents in Abilene, said Mona Ratto, an Abilene police shift supervisor.

Parts of North Texas, the Panhandle and West Texas saw light snowfall with little to no accumulation. Recent warm temperatures, which hit 80 degrees earlier in the week, kept the ground warm and the snow melting, Dunn said.

``It's primarily a wet snow falling and melting as it hits the ground,'' Dunn said. ``I think temperatures will stay too warm for any kind of accumulation in the Metroplex.''

More snow was in the Friday forecast for the Panhandle. There was a 50 percent chance of snow in the Amarillo area. Highs are expected to be in the lower 30s, and lows in the lower 20s.

The cold front across North Texas was a quick-moving system that should move out by early Friday morning, Dunn said.

There was at least a 30 percent chance of showers on Friday in North and East Texas, with highs expected to reach the lower 50s. Lows could dip into the 30s.

Cloudy skies and at least a 40 percent chance of showers were expected in Central Texas south into the Rio Grande Valley and east to the Gulf Coast. High temperatures should reach the mid-50s, with lows in the upper 40s.

Mostly cloudy skies were also forecast for West Texas, along with a 40-percent chance of showers. Highs were expected to approach 55 degrees, with a low of 35.