Maleesa Johnson | Copy Desk Chief
By Rachel Leland
Staff Writer
Thursday’s snowstorm that swept through Texas and dumped up to 7 inches of snow in some places and caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled throughout the state. All flights out of the Waco Regional Airport were cut, putting spring break plans for some students on hold.
According to Flightware.com, more than 800 flights were cancelled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which left more than 600 passengers stranded overnight.
Dangerous driving conditions throughout the city of Waco caused several closures and delays. Baylor closed at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday for fear that it would snow overnight, said Brian Nicholson, vice president for operations and facilities.
According to the Waco Independent School District’s website, all schools in the Waco District were closed Thursday due to dangerous travel conditions.
Between midnight and 4 p.m. Thursday, Waco Police Sergeant Swanton said 44 accidents occurred in Waco, a majority of them related to morning weather conditions
This is almost five times more than the five to 10 that happen on average on a day with temperate weather, Swanton said.
Most of the accidents took place at intersections and land bridges.
“There were a lot at intersections because the tires cause the ice to pack,” said Swanton.
Swanton said most of the accidents were fender benders and did not cause major injuries, and that people were good at keeping the speeds down.
According to Weather.com, Waco received .15 inches of snow.
“I walked back to my room at 3 a.m. or so and in hardly any time at all, campus had been transformed into a winter wonderland,” said Houston sophomore Kat Largent. “I’ve never seen anything like that happen in Texas before. There was a coat of ice on everything, and it was ridiculously slippery. Walking around, even on the sidewalks, was like ice skating!”
At 6 a.m. Thursday morning, officers inspected the roads and found that the some of the slush had cleared but later re-froze, which led to the administration’s decision to close the university until 11 a.m.
“Most of our students live close to campus but a lot of faculty and staff have to drive in so once city of Waco closed roads we decided to close the school,” Nicholson said.
The weather storm cleared by noon Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.
