WF Area Roads Covered in Ice and Snow [Pictures]

It's not every winter that Wichita Falls gets snow, so when it does it gets to be a big deal. Both for having some fun with it, and for trying to get around in it.

The snow we got on Valentine's Day came along with some unusually cold weather so it will likely be around for a while, if you do have to get out be sure to take your time. I had the benefit of a full time four-wheel-drive SUV and the only trouble I had was stopping. On roads like these that can me more difficult than getting started.

My first stop was the intersection of Kemp and Southwest Parkway. TxDOT crews are doing the best that they can with sand and chemicals but the flow of traffic on the streets tends to diffuse their efforts so the streets are still very slick and almost 100% snow and ice covered.

The photo below is from that intersection looking South down Kemp Boulevard.

While the four-wheel-drive trucks and all-wheel-drive vehicles were doing OK, those with front-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive only were having a difficult time getting around.

The new Boardwalk on Lake Wichita was my next destination. From the tracks in the snow I wasn't the first person to make it out to the Circle Trail this morning.

As I went up the hill and on to the Boardwalk area the wind really became obvious.

I was actually surprised to see Lake Wichita frozen over. Not sure how thick the ice is and I'm in no hurry to find out.

The snowfall patterns on the rock landscaping was interesting.

By this time my fingers and my camera were both beginning to act up from the cold so I headed back to my vehicle to warm up. When you're wearing a balaclava and glasses your breath tends to fog them up. When you do that at 4 degrees that moisture quickly freezes onto the lens.

As I was warming my fingers in my vehicle I noticed some folks taking advantage of the good sledding conditions.

The trips up and down the hill didn't always go as planned but that didn't seem to hamper the fun.

After a quick wave I was off to my next location, Sikes Senter Mall.

I'm not sure if these folks were there to open their stores or they were just dedicated mall walkers. Either way there was plenty of parking space.

Back at the studios I ventured to the top of our building to get a shot or two of the Kemp and Kell intersection.

As you can see, no matter which way you look the roads and parking lots are nearly completely snow and ice covered.

With the forecast of several more days with sub-freezing temperatures and the possibility of more snow mid-week travel will remain treacherous for several days.

Stay home if you can, give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination if you absolutely have to get out. We're pretty accustomed to the creature comforts of our automobiles, but if you're stuck and trying to push yourself out or get into a fender bender you may be exposed to the elements for quite a while so dress for the weather.