Incoming winter storm could dump a year's worth of snow on Dallas

A sprawling winter storm is forecast to bring a mix of snow and ice to northern Texas later this week, one that could deliver up to 6 inches of snow to Dallas the day before a major college football game.

"Many areas from northern Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, will have at least some chance of wintry weather," the National Weather Service said. "With cold air already in place, a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain is forecast for the Southern Plains, which may cause hazardous driving conditions, starting late Wednesday night and continuing into Thursday morning."

A winter storm watch is now in effect for parts of North Texas, generally along and north of I-20, where snowfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches will be possible on Thursday, the weather service said.

Weather forecast: After one brutal winter storm exits, is another on the way?

The impending storm could bring more than a year's worth of snow to Dallas, where the historical average annual snowfall, which includes sleet, is 1.6 inches. "The upcoming storm is forecast to bring at least two to three times that amount in hours from Thursday to Friday," AccuWeather meteorologist Emma Belsher said in an online forecast.

Winter weather forecast map for Texas

Dallas snow could rank among top 5

"Should 6 inches of snow fall in Dallas it would be in the top-five snowfalls on record," AccuWeather senior director of forecasting operations Dan DePodwin said.

The storm later this week could be the biggest snowstorm since Feb. 11-12, 2010, when 12.5 inches of snow fell on Dallas, AccuWeather said.

Winter weather in Cotton Bowl forecast

The national college football semifinal is scheduled for Dallas' Cotton Bowl on Friday night. Worryingly, Thursday into early Friday will be a mess across Central and North Texas with sleet, freezing rain, and snowfall all mixing together with temperatures near freezing, according to meteorologist Ryan Maue on X.

The weather service said that this system will exit the area by midday Friday, but impacts will likely linger through Saturday morning, when temperatures begin to warm up into the 40s/50s.

Traveling to the game will be the issue. The on-field game won't be impacted by the weather because AT&T Stadium is equipped with a retractable roof.

Kickoff between the Texas Longhorns (13-2) and Ohio State Buckeyes (12-2) is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

(This story has been updated to correct a misspelling/typo.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas winter storm could dump a year's worth of snow on Dallas