Cotton Bowl Forecast: Snow, wintry mix to make travel difficult for fans
Cotton Bowl Forecast
The Cotton Bowl will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and fans from across the country will be traveling (or trying to travel) to North Texas to see it. Here's a look at what we expect from the forecast on Thursday for those looking to get into Arlington and what the conditions will be like once they get there on Friday.
ARLINGTON, Texas - Fans from across the country are expected to make the trip to North Texas for the Cotton Bowl on Friday.
More than 70,000 people attended last year's Cotton Bowl game between Ohio State and Missouri, but people this year may have difficulty making it to AT&T Stadium.
On Thursday, a winter storm is expected to drop snow on North Texas, which could make it difficult for people trying to attend Friday's game.
Arlington, Texas Weather
What we know:
If you are looking to head to the game, try to leave Wednesday if you can.
On Thursday we expect to see a wintry mix and snow move into North Texas.
Thursday morning, we expect a wintry mix to fall with slick spots developing on the roads, before switching over to snow on Thursday night.
Snow is expected to continue falling into Friday morning.
It will be treacherous for people trying to make their way on the roads from Austin to Arlington.
Temperatures are expected to climb above freezing on Friday, so we do expect some of the snow to melt before kickoff at 6:30 p.m.
What we don't know:
While we expect the weather to be bad on Thursday and the beginning of the day on Friday, we don't know just how big of an impact it will have on travel.
Cotton Bowl Forecast
As for the Cotton Bowl itself, the snow should be done by Friday night's kickoff.
Pregame, temperatures will be dry and 36 degrees.
Temperatures will fall back below freezing on Friday night.
Preps ahead of Cotton Bowl
Tens of thousands of football fans will brave this week’s predicted North Texas winter storm.
A layer of protection is being added on Arlington streets to keep up with this week’s predicted winter storm.
The city’s public works department says it’s already treating the bridges and roads near the stadium with a brine solution ahead of Friday’s matchup.
"Our goal is to do what we can to keep people safe coming in and out to the Cotton Bowl Friday make sure everybody gets in safely and everybody gets out safely," said DJ Ryals, the city’s field operations supervisor.
The city’s fire department has experience handling service calls during extreme weather and high-profile events, including a Super Bowl and World Series.
"We are routinely monitoring weather reports and we are in close contact with AT&T Stadium and local officials. We always have plans for inclement weather. Should conditions warrant it, we will communicate to everyone attending and connected with this year’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic," a Cotton Bowl spokesperson said in a statement.
This week, Arlington first responder vehicles are equipped with tire snow chains and a heightened safety awareness.
"During this event, we’ll have the emergency operation center open which will be monitoring conditions all over the city, specifically in the Entertainment District all around the stadium," said Arlington Fire Lt. Adam Evans.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins was on FOX Weather Tuesday assuring drivers the path through Dallas to Arlington will be pretreated.
"Like from Austin 35E, all the roads going to the stadium, those are being heavily brined. Brine is what we put down before the ice appears," he said.
On Interstate 30, trucks were dropping brine in the express lane Tuesday afternoon.
Following the drive west, Fort Worth fire is prepping their equipment for the freezing temps, from chains on fire truck tires to caution tape to tag abandoned vehicles to flares to heat up frozen fire hydrants.
Fort Worth firefighters also expect significantly more motor vehicle accidents as conditions on Thursday deteriorate.
As of Tuesday night, organizers say Friday's game will go on as planned.
Where's the Cotton Bowl held?
The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys play.
Is the Cotton Bowl stadium covered?
AT&T Stadium has a retractable roof.
It is expected to be closed for Friday's game.
When did the Cotton Bowl move to AT&T Stadium?
In 2010, the Cotton Bowl Classic, which is at the Texas State Fair Grounds, moved to AT&T Stadium as part of a bid by bowl officials to make it part of the BCS in 2011.
Why Isn't the Cotton Bowl Played at the Cotton Bowl?
The new AT&T Stadium had some perks - one being the retractable roof that would help protect the players and fans from the cold weather in January.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 4 Weather team.