Snow Forecast for Dallas, Texas: Can Planes Fly in Snow at DFW, Love Field?

DALLAS – North Texas was expected to get a combination of snow and sleet from Wednesday evening into Friday morning this week. And if you’re new here, here’s what you should know: Our streets and highways (and our drivers, too) don’t typically handle winter weather as well as northern cities that are more accustomed to snowy conditions.

But how will winter precipitation affect our two major airports, Dallas-Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field? And can planes fly in the snow?

The short answer to the second question: Yes, they can.

The longer answer to both questions: Travelers should prepare for delays as pilots, flight crews and airport staff take some extra precautions in what could be frigid, freezing weather.

“Bad weather, particularly winter weather, is a serious challenge to aircraft,” said Scott Shankland, a veteran airline pilot based in North Texas. “What happens if we get snow or ice, or especially freezing rain, can really affect the performance of the aircraft. What happens is we get snow or ice that sticks to the outer skin of the plane, and we call that ‘contamination.'”

Contamination on an aircraft can reduce lift, Shankland explained. There is also the risk of pieces of ice breaking off the aircraft body and causing engine damage. Because of these risks, all passenger aircraft must be de-iced before takeoff in winter conditions.

Shankland said the actual de-icing process doesn’t take too long – perhaps 20 minutes once a plane reaches the de-icing platform before takeoff, and some airports have the option to de-ice the plane at the gate. But at airports with a dedicated de-icing pad on the tarmac, such as DFW, having planes waiting in line for de-icing can cause delays.

Once de-icing is complete, the planes are “usually pretty quick” on the runway, Shankland said. In icy conditions, the runway can pose an additional problem. Both during takeoff and landing, pilots with a de-iced aircraft then take into account possible runway contamination – for example ice or snow – which could affect the braking distance.

“If the runway is icy or snowy, your stopping distance will increase significantly,” Shankland said.

Once an aircraft becomes airborne, it has anti-icing equipment to prevent re-icing in the air. A heavy snowstorm could reduce visibility for pilots, similar to rain, Shankland said, but conditions tend to improve the higher the plane flies.

“The weather on the ground at the airport could be terrible and we climb a few thousand feet and suddenly we emerge from the clouds and it’s beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine,” Shankland said.

North Texas Congressman Jake Ellzey, also a veteran commercial airline pilot, said both de-icing procedures and increased spacing between incoming planes can cause delays in wintry conditions. But overall, Ellzey said, it’s a set of protocols that U.S. pilots and airports have been using for decades.

“It’s safe to fly in the snow,” Ellzey said. “We have reduced this to a very safe (process).”

And even if delays are to be expected, Ellzey said it would take extreme weather to close a major U.S. airport like DFW: a snowstorm with high winds, a major power outage or “zero zero” visibility, meaning the fog is too thick for pilots to see above or in front of their aircraft.