The National Weather Service in Amarillo issued warnings for the Texas Panhandle for extreme cold and heavy snowfall from Winter Storm Fern, which has impacted the region from Friday, Jan. 23, through Monday, Jan. 26.
Most schools and several government offices, businesses and health facilities are closed Monday, with impacts to be determined for Tuesday as the forecast calls to temperatures to rise above freezing.
The freezing temperatures have led to multiple water main breaks in Amarillo. City Water Utilities crews have been working around the clock all weekend to repair multiple breaks despite freezing temperatures, working to restore service as quickly as possible. To report a water main break, call 806-378-6824.
The Red Cross has mobilized and has five Red Cross-managed shelters open across North Texas, including Celebration Church, 811 E Broadway St. in Fritch. To find shelter locations, visit redcross.org/shelters, check out the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). Residents can also follow the American Red Cross North Texas Region Facebook page or emergency officials on social media, sign up for free local government alerts or monitor local news.
According to the Xcel Energy power outage map, an outage near Dalhart was impacting 55 customers as of 9:10 a.m. Monday. Various outages have been impacting the area during the winter storm, with crews working to restore power as quickly as possible. On Friday evening, 12 outages around the Amarillo area impacted approximately 485 customers, and an outage in Hutchinson County impacted about 800 people.
Two Monday flights out of the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth have been canceled.
Out of an abundance of caution, the following institutions have issued closings, early releases or delays:
Government offices
All City of Amarillo facilities are closed today, Jan. 26, due to extreme cold weather and to help protect critical infrastructure. The City of Amarillo Street Division continued sanding city-maintained overpasses and signalized arterial intersections overnight Sunday and remain in operation Monday. As sunshine begins to melt snow and ice, drivers may see equipment along curbs and gutters on arterial streets breaking up slush so water can drain into the city’s stormwater system. Residents needing to pay their utility bill may do so online at https://www.amarillo.gov/utility-billing/pay/ or by phone at 806-378-3030. Solid Waste services will operate on a modified schedule. Monday’s residential and commercial routes will be serviced Tuesday, Jan. 27, and Tuesday residential routes will be serviced Wednesday, Jan. 28. Curbside service will not be available Monday. Brush sites and the city landfill are closed and will reopen Tuesday. Fixed-route transit service will operate on a delayed start that started at 9 a.m. Monday. ACT Connect is operating on a regular schedule. The Guyon Saunders Resource Center (Tyler Street Resource Center) is open for homeless sheltering until Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 3 p.m. Operations will be reassessed if severe weather continues. In addition, AAMW Officers will respond to calls during inclement weather events at 806-378-9032 or go online at amw.amarillo.gov to report any possible concerns regarding animals. For more, see the city’s winter weather website.
Amarillo College has canceled the scheduled Board Meeting for Monday, Jan. 26.
City of Canyon facilities are closed Monday including City Hall, the Canyon Economic Development Corporation – Canyon, TX and Canyon Main Street office, the Canyon Area Library, and Canyon Municipal Court. The city is operating on an alternate trash schedule as well.
All Potter County offices are closed Monday. Commissioners’ Court has been moved to 9 a.m. Tuesday.
All Randall County offices are closed Monday. Emergency services will continue to operate during this time.
All Region 16 sites and/or campuses are closed Monday.
Medical facilities
BSA Health System outpatient clinics are closed or have a delayed start on Monday, Jan 26. Closed are BSA Advanced Wound Care, BSA Amarillo Diagnostic Clinic, BSA Harrington Cancer Center, BSA Harrington Breast Center and BSA Outpatient Therapy. Places with a delayed 10 a.m. start include BSA Amarillo Surgical Group and BSA Cardiothoracic Surgery. All other outpatient clinics will begin at regularly scheduled business hours. Patients are encouraged to plan accordingly and monitor official BSA communication channels for updates.
Northwest Texas Healthcare System has various locations closed Monday, including J O Wyatt Clinic at 1411 Amarillo Blvd., Northwest Sports & Ortho, Northwest Therapy Center on Georgia, Northwest Physicians Group-all offices and NWTHS-Wound Care Center. Northwest Urgent Care will open at 10 a.m.
Schools
Amarillo ISD schools are closed Monday, Jan. 26.
Borger ISD is closed Monday.
Bovina ISD is closed Monday, with all extracurricular activities, practices, and school events canceled for the day. They will share any further updates regarding Tuesday’s schedule.
Boys Ranch ISD canceled classes for Monday.
Bushland ISD is closed Monday.
Canadian ISD is closed Monday.
Canyon ISD is closed Monday.
Childress ISD is closed Monday.
Claude ISD is closed Monday.
Dimmitt ISD is closed Monday.
Farwell ISD is closed Monday.
Follett ISD canceled all classes on Monday, Jan. 26. While Highway 15 is currently drivable, other routes remain dangerous.
Fort Elliott ISD is closed Monday.
Friona ISD is closed Monday.
Grandview-Hopkins ISD is closed Monday.
Groom ISD is closed Monday.
Happy ISD canceled classes for Monday.
Hart ISD is closed Monday.
Hedley ISD is closed Monday.
Hereford ISD is closed Monday, Jan. 26.
Highland Park ISD is closed Monday.
Kelton ISD is closed Monday.
Lazbuddie ISD is closed on Monday, Jan. 26, and will have a 10 a.m. late start on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
Lefors ISD is closed Monday.
Nazareth ISD is closed Monday.
Pampa ISD is closed Monday.
Panhandle ISD is closed Monday.
Perryton ISD had a two-hour delay Monday.
Plemons-Stinnett-Phillips CISD will begin classes at 10 a.m. Monday, and buses will run two hours late.
Pringle-Morse ISD will have a 10 a.m. start Monday, Jan. 26.
RMA Public School Amarillo (Richard Milburn Academy Amarillo) is closed Monday.
River Road ISD is closed Monday.
Sanford-Fritch ISD is closed Monday.
Shamrock ISD is closed Monday.
Silverton ISD is closed Monday.
Spearman ISD had a school delay of 9:40 a.m. Monday.
Sunray ISD will start school at 10 a.m. Monday, and buses will run on a 2-hour delay. The Bobcat Den opened at 9:20 a.m.
Texline ISD had a one-hour delay Monday.
Tulia ISD is closed Monday.
Turkey-Quitaque ISD is closed Monday.
Vega ISD is closed Monday.
Walcott ISD is closed Monday.
Wellington ISD is closed Monday.
Wheeler ISD is closed Monday.
White Deer ISD is closed Monday.
Wildorado ISD is closed Monday.
Colleges
All Amarillo College campuses including the Hinkson Memorial Campus in Hereford, Amarillo campuses and Moore County campuses in Dumas are closed Monday.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at Amarillo on-campus operations, activities, classes and clinics are canceled on Monday, Jan. 26 due to inclement weather. All remote curricular activities will continue as planned. Check for further communications from your school or division and www.ttuhsc.edu/emergency for updates.
West Texas A&M University in Canyon and Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center will remain closed Monday, Jan. 26.
Businesses
All events at the Amarillo Civic Center on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 24 and 25, were rescheduled or canceled.
All Amarillo Community Federal Credit Union (ACFCU) bank branches are closed Monday.
Amarillo National Bank will have opening delays in its southern markets, including Fort Worth, College Station and Austin.
DoorDash has suspended operations in Northwest Texas, including Lubbock, Amarillo, and parts of Oklahoma effective Friday, Jan. 23.
The Amarillo VA Health Care System is warning the storm and unsafe road conditions could affect patients with appointments scheduled for the following week. To reschedule an appointment, call 806-355-9703 and select Option 2, or go through the portal via a My HealtheVet account. To reschedule a Community Care appointment, call 806-468-1805. Veterans scheduled for Veterans Transportation Service (VTS) transport will be contacted if cancellations occur. Contact VTS Dispatch at 806-468-1515 to cancel or reschedule a ride if needed with an appointment change. Access health care 24/7 through VA Health Connect at 800-687-8262. For more, visit https://www.va.gov/…/programs/inclement-weather-readiness/
The Amarillo Zoo was closed Friday through Monday due to the forecasted inclement weather, with this week’s hours to be determined. Their weather policy states that they will close when temperatures drop below freezing in the interest of keeping animals in warmed, indoor habitats.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park was closed Saturday and Sunday, with Monday and the rest of the week to be determined. Check their Facebook page for updates as conditions change.
Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center planned to reopen on Monday, weather and road conditions permitting.
TxDOT is asking drivers to stay home if possible this weekend. TxDOT said crews had been treating roads across the state, using more than 1 million gallons of brine as of Thursday morning.
Sports
All Amarillo ISD District 3-5A basketball and soccer games will be moved to Wednesday and be varsity only. Site of the games and times will remain the same.
The AC baseball team’s season-opening event in Arlington was canceled. The Badger baseball team will now shift its focus to its home opener at Hodgetown, set for Jan. 30-Feb. 1, against Johnson County Community College. Two games have been added to the team’s 2026 schedule: The Badgers and Garden City Community College will now play a four-game series, Feb. 20-21, at Hodgetown. The pair of doubleheaders will begin at noon. AC students, faculty, and staff can attend all home games for free by presenting their ID at the Hodgetown box office.
This is a developing story; more information will be added as it becomes available.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo, TX school closings, delays, cancelations for Jan storm
Reporting by Kristina Wood, Nell Williams and Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
