How often does it snow in Dallas?? (winter, year)

[Stephane12]

Not long than a month will Dallas have snow. I like most this part here in the place. Not that cold season that will dive out tardiness going to work.

[hokiepoke]

Originally Posted by DTWtoPHX

I see palm trees in Dallas (while rare, I definitely see them around). Is Dallas the type of place with year round good weather, or will I be reminded of why I'm leaving Michigan come every winter?

I was in Dallas for 12 yrs and that weeklong Super Bowl freeze in 2011 did me in. It killed off my two Mexican palms I got from Houston that grew about 10ft high over 10 yrs. If I recall we had about 3 big snowstorms that had some measurable accumulation (good enough for some sledding and snowball fight and a car that did a 360 in front of me during the snow commute home). Originally moved from D.C. to Dallas to get away from cold/snow/ice for good but I guess I didn't do enough research back then. Snow/ice is rare and few in between but can still happen and I think Dallas has like 1 salt truck that dispense a couple handful of sand for some traction...lol. That storm drove me to move to Florida the year after - good riddance to that frozen stuff for good now.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

There are freak storms in weird years, but there's almost never any snow of consequence in DFW. There will usually be a couple days where you see a few flurries when squinting while looking out the window, and it might even stick around for an hour or two in the grass. But that is generally all it does. As others here have said, there are freak storms occasionally that are the exception to that. I do remember "icemageddon" a few years ago. That sh*t was slick. No joke. I was backing my wife's front wheel drive Nissan Murano out of our driveway, which had a tiiiny slope to it, and I almost slid across the street and into the neighbor's car. I had zero control despite the fact that I was inching along.

But that was the exception. I live in Colorado now, so I see a lot more snow. However, Colorado doesn't usually get ice like that, and I will say that the ice storms DFW can get are worse for driving than a blizzard that drops 24". I grew up in Missouri and have spent considerable time in Colorado, but never in my life have I experienced roads that were as slick as that day in DFW. Maybe that's why I was the only idiot actually driving around.

Regarding Michigan: There's zero comparison between DFW winters and Michigan winters. None whatsoever. My parents live in Michigan, so I'm up there a couple times a year now. In nearly every season, DFW and Michigan have very different weather. DFW winter lasts about six weeks, and while it can get cold for a person who was expecting Maui, it rarely gets genuinely cold. While I do think it usually feels a little colder than the temperature gauge might indicate, it's completely incomparable to any place in Michigan. Hell, there are multiple ski resorts in Michigan!

[NP78]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

There are freak storms in weird years, but there's almost never any snow of consequence in DFW. There will usually be a couple days where you see a few flurries when squinting while looking out the window, and it might even stick around for an hour or two in the grass. But that is generally all it does. As others here have said, there are freak storms occasionally that are the exception to that. I do remember "icemageddon" a few years ago. That sh*t was slick. No joke. I was backing my wife's front wheel drive Nissan Murano out of our driveway, which had a tiiiny slope to it, and I almost slid across the street and into the neighbor's car. I had zero control despite the fact that I was inching along.

But that was the exception. I live in Colorado now, so I see a lot more snow. However, Colorado doesn't usually get ice like that, and I will say that the ice storms DFW can get are worse for driving than a blizzard that drops 24". I grew up in Missouri and have spent considerable time in Colorado, but never in my life have I experienced roads that were as slick as that day in DFW. Maybe that's why I was the only idiot actually driving around.

Agreed. I spent most of my life in the Rocky Mountain states, so I have driven through plenty of snow, but the worst road surface conditions I have ever seen were that week in DFW. When I first moved to Texas I naively thought it was overkill to close schools/businesses at the first sign of frozen precipitation. However, the prevelance of icing and lack of road treatment equipment make that the smart decision.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by DTWtoPHX

I see palm trees in Dallas (while rare, I definitely see them around). Is Dallas the type of place with year round good weather, or will I be reminded of why I'm leaving Michigan come every winter?

Our cold snaps and occasional snow and ice are very short lived. The poster who claimed there shouldn't be snow at all is wrong. Dallas has always had years with some snow and/or ice. The difference here is it doesn't typically stick around. The palms you see are generally well adapted to varied temps. Windmill palm (Trachycarpus Fortunei) is exported from temperate climates in Asia. I had one that I planted as a baby at my former home that not only survived major ice storms, it survived the year we had over a foot and a half of snow on the ground for almost a week. I never wrapped it. The only palm native to Dallas County is the palmetto (sabal minor). Those are also cold tolerant, obviously.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by NP78

Agreed. I spent most of my life in the Rocky Mountain states, so I have driven through plenty of snow, but the worst road surface conditions I have ever seen were that week in DFW. When I first moved to Texas I naively thought it was overkill to close schools/businesses at the first sign of frozen precipitation. However, the prevelance of icing and lack of road treatment equipment make that the smart decision.

Yep...we're not stupid or cowards, we're just practical.

[jgn2013]

People don't realize how dangerous 1/2 to 1 inch of ice can be for a driver. Snow, especially in northern states is no big deal because they salt the roads (instead of sand). I remember visiting Colorado a few years ago. Freezing cold (around 0 degrees) with snow, but the roads were basically clear. In TX, a little sleet with a glaze of ice....that's scary. It's hard just to walk to your car let alone drive it!

[TheOverdog]

In TX, a little sleet with a glaze of ice....that's scary

TX is way wetter than Colorado, so it ices more often. Snow is no big deal to drive in. In places where it ices often, they use snow tires and snow chains throughout the winter.

They sell salt in TX to salt your driveway at places like Home Depot. In a heavy ice storm it doesn't do much.

[Dallaz]

We get more ice than snow. Ice storms can be pure hell, if you have to drive.

[Dallaz]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

it doesn't snow every year in Dallas it snows once every 2-3 years on average. The last few years have had snow nearly every year -those are outliers. Last winter it didn't snow at all. That's normal. Points north of Dallas (really Denton north) get snow more regularly.

Well, last year was the warmest winter on record. I wouldn't gauge last year's winter as the "normal".