Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Mary Perry helps her daughter Louisa, 3, decorate a snowman her father Sam, right, made.
Sunday’s snow didn’t seem to hamper disc golfers who were attending a tournament at Cameron Park.
A motorist navigates Lake Air Drive during the daylong snowstorm on Sunday.
Baylor University students walk on campus during the Sunday snowstorm.
Above: Sunday’s snow didn’t seem to hamper disc golfers who were attending a tournament at Cameron Park.
A snow-covered street sign at 50th Street and Bishop Drive.
Sunday's snow didn't seem to hamper disc golfers who were attending a tournament at Cameron Park.
Snow builds up on parked cars on Bosque Boulevard.
Sunday's snow didn't seem to hamper disc golfers who were attending a tournament at Cameron Park.
People build a snowman at Bledsoe Miller Park, was covered by the snowfall on Sunday.
Baylor University's Immortal Ten statues during the snowfall on Sunday.
Baylor University's Immortal Ten statues during the snowfall on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
A motorist travels down Lake Shore Drive amid the buildup of snow toward Lake Waco.
A man armed with an umbrella makes his way down Austin Avenue.
A parkgoer poses with a statue outside the rear entrance to the Cameron Park Zoo.
A couple takes a photo of the church at Magnolia Market at the Silos during the Sunday snowstorm.
Children in Lorena take advantage of the snow to build a snowman.
Richard and Carla Barton watch their son Oliver, 3, makes a snow angel.
A man walks his dog in the snow.
Larry and Paula Umberger build a snowman outside their home.
The heaviest single-day snowfall in the Waco area in nearly four decades brought out sledders and snowball fighters on Sunday, closed Cameron Park and led school districts to announce Monday closures.
Fluffy snow fell continuously for most of the day, and by 6 p.m., Waco Regional Airport reported 4.4 inches, the most since Jan. 13, 1982, when 6 inches were recorded.
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Fort Worth issued a winter storm warning for McLennan County that will stay in place until 6 a.m. Monday. The Texas Department of Transportation warned about possible freezing on I-35’s overpasses in Waco.
The road conditions caused numerous school districts to cancel Monday classes, including Waco, Midway, La Vega, Robinson, Hallsburg, McGregor, Riesel, Crawford, Lorena, Mart, Marlin, Bruceville-Eddy and West independent school districts.
Texas State Technical College also announced it will be closed Monday.
The Waco-McLennan County Health District announced that it would cancel COVID-19 tests Monday.
Boys work together to roll a giant snowball for a snowman at Mountainview Park on Sunday.
People bundled up and headed to parks for snowball fights and sledding, but some had to change their plans after the weight of the snow broke tree limbs and downed trees throughout Cameron Park. Waco police Officer Garen Bynum said the park closed just before 4 p.m. after some vehicles became trapped in the park after falling trees and blocked their path.
“It’s a mess,” Bynum said Sunday. “People can’t get in, and once they try to get in they’ll get about halfway down and get stuck, then they’ll try to get out and a tree falls behind them.”
Bynum said Waco Police, the city’s parks and recreation department and park rangers closed the park and barricaded roads leading into the park while other officers tried to help people get out.
“The problem is, we can’t go too far in because then we won’t be able to get out,” Bynum said.
A park visitor poses with a statue outside the rear entrance to the Cameron Park Zoo.
Waco police responded to a car accident on Highway 6 near Bosque Blvd.
Matt Bishop, an NWS meteorologist, said heavy snow was widespread across Central Texas. The NWS warned most areas would receive between three to five inches, with isolated pockets of 8-inch snow. Stephenville, Texas reported the most at eight inches.
“Pretty much everything south of the I-20 corridor is where all the heavy snow has been occurring, that’s just the track the storm happens to be taking,” Bishop said. “So with all the moisture and all the lift is occurring with the system.”
Bishop said he expected the snow to move northeast around sunset Sunday. He said it was possible the snow would melt and refreeze overnight, especially on roads that aren’t as heavily used that might not have been treated by road crews.
Jake Smith, a public information officer for the Texas Department of Transportation, said there was one road closure in the Waco region on main lanes of I-14 in Nolanville, west of FM 2410. TxDOT diverted traffic onto frontage roads to avoid inclement weather. The road reopened at 3 p.m.
Smith said maintenance crews were started patrolling roads with salt and sand districtwide in McLennan County and surrounding counties, including bridges and overpasses. He said TxDOT pretreated bridges, overpasses and the main lanes of Interstate 35 that run through Waco with salt solution on Friday.
“Those are the part of roadways that tend to freeze first,” Smith said.
He said crews would continue doing so until Monday morning.
The last time Waco received more than an inch of snow was Feb. 22, 2010, when 3.1 inches fell. The record snowfall for a single day in Waco remains 13 inches that fell Feb. 25, 1924.
Photos — Waco's snowy scenes on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021
Mary Perry helps her daughter Louisa, 3, decorate a snowman her father Sam, right, made.
Richard and Carla Barton watch their son Oliver, 3, makes a snow angel.
A man walks his dog in the snow.
Snow covers tree branches as flags blow in the wind.
Larry and Paula Umberger build a snowman outside their home.
Snow fall on palm trees at a office building on Bosque Boulevard.
Snow falls on a boat outside a home.
Snow falls on pink flamingos in a yard.
A crow takes flight as snow falls at Koehne Park.
Children in Lorena take advantage of the snow to build a snowman.
Children in Lorena take advantage of the snow to build a snowman.
A parkgoer poses with a statue outside the rear entrance to the Cameron Park Zoo.
A park visitor poses with a statue outside the rear entrance to the Cameron Park Zoo.
A couple takes a photo of the church at Magnolia Market at the Silos during the Sunday snowstorm.
Baylor University's Immortal Ten statues during the snowfall on Sunday.
Baylor University's Immortal Ten statues during the snowfall on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Baylor University students enjoy the plentiful snowfall that blanketed campus on Sunday.
Boys work together to roll a giant snowball for a snowman at Mountainview Park on Sunday.
A motorist travels down Lake Shore Drive amid the buildup of snow toward Lake Waco.
A man armed with an umbrella makes his way down Austin Avenue.
People build a snowman at Bledsoe Miller Park, was covered by the snowfall on Sunday.
Sunday's snow didn't seem to hamper disc golfers who were attending a tournament at Cameron Park.
Sunday's snow didn't seem to hamper disc golfers who were attending a tournament at Cameron Park.
Snow builds up on parked cars on Bosque Boulevard.
A snow-covered street sign at 50th Street and Bishop Drive.
Above: Sunday’s snow didn’t seem to hamper disc golfers who were attending a tournament at Cameron Park.
Baylor University students walk on campus during the Sunday snowstorm.
A motorist navigates Lake Air Drive during the daylong snowstorm on Sunday.
Sunday’s snow didn’t seem to hamper disc golfers who were attending a tournament at Cameron Park.
Pedestrians try to cross North 18th Street during the snowstorm.
Children in Lorena take advantage of the snow to build a snowman.
Rhiannon Saegert
Rhiannon Saegert is a graduate of the University of North Texas who formerly worked at The Ardmoreite in Ardmore, Okla., the Denton Record-Chronicle and Eater magazine.
