Texas

Why has it been so dusty in North Texas recently?

Published

1 year ago

March 19, 2025

Why has it been so dusty in North Texas recently?

As North Texans have been luxuriating in spring temperatures and sunshine, they’ve also experienced sustained high winds that have brought a lot of dust.

On multiple occasions this month, the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office has alerted metro area residents of strong blowing dust, sometimes impacting visibility. It was forecast to make an appearance again on Wednesday, with winds ranging from 25 to 35 miles per hour.

Here’s what to know about the dust:

What is causing the dust in North Texas?

Strong west winds have affected most of the state in recent weeks, picking up dust in New Mexico and West Texas, Sarah Barnes, a meteorologist with the weather service said.

The dust has traveled from west to east, with some landing in Dallas-Fort Worth. Barnes noted the metro area has not seen the recurring reduction in visibility other parts of the state have experienced, such as in the Texas Panhandle.

ICYMI: A Wind Advisory is in effect through 9 PM. Sustained winds will range between 20-30 mph, with higher gusts between 35-45 mph. Additionally, these winds have brought in more dust from West Texas making the skies appear hazy this morning. #dfwwx #ctxwx pic.twitter.com/tckowRjp7v
— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) March 19, 2025

What makes dust dangerous when driving?

The biggest threat from dust is reduced visibility. It can be difficult for drivers to estimate how thick the dust will be until they’re in it and their visibility is reduced, sometimes down to zero. In that situation, drivers often slow down substantially and then get hit by other cars.

But visibility isn’t the only threat. The high winds can coat the roads with fine dust particles, making it harder to brake.

Is the dust normal for North Texas?

Not really. Barnes said a day of hazy skies here or there isn’t abnormal for the region, but the continued pattern of substantial dust is irregular. It was not immediately clear how long it would continue.

Does the dust have anything to do with the lack of rain?

North Texas has been short on rain recently. There’s been no measured rainfall in the last week, and almost none predicted for the week to come.

But the two trends are separate. Since the dust is getting picked up and brought over from other areas, the lack of moisture in the ground here isn’t directly contributing.

When will it rain again?

It’s hard to say.

While March isn’t over, North Texas is only halfway to its March precipitation average of 1.93 inches and almost no rainfall is predicted for the next week.

Barnes said there’s been a lack of moisture coming up from the Gulf of Mexico, which has limited precipitation when the cold fronts move through.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Texas

Texas Rangers investigating allegations of assault against Magnolia mayor

Published

2 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

Texas Rangers investigating allegations of assault against Magnolia mayor

MAGNOLIA, Texas (KTRK) — Texas Rangers confirmed to ABC13 that they have an active and open investigation into Magnolia Mayor Matthew “Doc” Dantzer following allegations of assault against the city’s secretary.

Bryan Emery spoke to ABC13 on behalf of his fiancée, Christian Gable, the Magnolia City secretary.

Gable told her fiancé what happened last October during an out-of-town work conference with Mayor Dantzer.

Emery said Gable, who was pregnant at the time, told him the mayor was walking her back to the hotel.

“He’s like, ‘Well, that only means one thing, once they get past the belly, they come off easier, and he reaches over there and tries to pull her pants down,’” Emery said.

Next, he said his fiancée threatened to kill the mayor, and when they got back to the hotel, Emery said the mayor went a step further towards Gable.

“He turns around and says this is how he needs to deal with you and grabs her by the throat and pins her up – there’s these big silver pillars in front of valet – pins her up against this pillar in front of the valet, she fights her off, turns around and yells at the valet people ‘nobody seen that, nobody’s going to do anything,’” Emery said.

ABC13 reached out to the attorney representing Mayor Dantzer. He sent ABC13 a statement denying the allegations and saying Dantzer looks forward to defending himself through the legal process.

The city’s attorney said they have no comment, but Emery hopes justice will be served.

“I’m really hoping they get everything they need and get him off the streets pretty soon,” Emery said.

The mayor has not been charged.

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Texas

Scouting the women’s NCAA Elite 8 contest between Michigan and Texas

Published

14 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

Scouting the women’s NCAA Elite 8 contest between Michigan and Texas

Free Press staff writer Arpan Lobo breaks down the Elite Eight matchup between 1-seed Texas and 2-seed Michigan in the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament.

Fast facts

Matchup: 1-seed Texas (34-3, 13-3, SEC) vs. 2-seed Michigan (28-6, 15-3 Big Ten); 2026 NCAA Tournament Fort Worth-3 regional final.
Tipoff: 7 p.m., March 30; Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas.
TV: ESPN.
Series: 1-0 Texas. The only other meeting between the two programs was in 2018, when Texas won, 69-52.

At stake: Winner advances to the Final Four in Phoenix on April 3-5.

Michigan women’s basketball: Meet the Wolverines

Location: Ann Arbor.
Coach: Kim Barnes Arico (311-150 over 14 seasons at U-M, 487-284 career).
School tournament record: 15-13 in 13 appearances.
Past 10 games: 9-1
Scoring leaders: Olivia Olson, 19.2 points per game; Syla Swords 14.8; Mila Holloway, 12.4.
Rebounding leaders: Olson, 6.2; Brooke Quarles Daniels, 5.2; Te’yala Delfosse, 4.6.
Assist leaders: Holloway, 4.8; Quarles Daniels, 2.9; Olson, 2.5.
3-point leaders: McKenzie Mathurin, 40%; Macy Brown*, 36.1%; Holloway, 34.9%.

*Out for season.

The buzz: Michigan is back to the Elite Eight for only the second time in program history, with its only other appearance being a loss to Louisville in 2022. They’ve outclassed and outworked their first three opponents in the tournament, most recently overcoming an early deficit against Louisville to run away late in a 71-52 victory in the Sweet 16.

Even after slow shooting starts from stars Olson and Swords in their past two contests, the Wolverines have been able to break down their opponents by deploying constant pressure, picking up ballhandlers deep in their own backcourts. They force turnovers and create easy looks in transition. Olson, a third-team AP All-American, was big in the second half against both North Carolina State and Louisville, and has been Michigan’s leading scorer in the tournament.

Another factor aiding Michigan’s run? Outworking their opponents on the glass. Guard Brooke Quarles Daniels, at all of 5-foot-7, had a whopping seven offensive boards against Louisville. Michigan has won the rebounding battle in all three of its tournament games so far.

The Wolverines haven’t met an opponent like Texas yet, and particularly an individual force like Madison Booker.

Texas women’s basketball: Meet the Longhorns

Location: Austin, Texas.
Coach: Vic Schaefer (177-29 at Texas, 478-211 career).
School tournament record: 58-36 in 38 appearances.
Past 10 games: 10-0.
Scoring leaders: Madison Booker, 19.3 points per game; Jordan Lee, 13.5; Kyla Oldacre, 10.4
Rebounding leaders: Booker, 6.7; Oldacre, 6.1; Breya Cunningham, 5.6.
Assist leaders: Rori Harmon, 6.1; Booker, 3.8; Lee, 2.5.
3-point leaders: Harmon, 45.8%; Bryanna Preston, 44.4%; 43.8%.

The buzz: After a dominating season, the Longhorns find themselves a win away from a second consecutive Final Four appearance. And the team’s biggest star is three-time All-American forward Madison Booker, who’s led the Longhorns in scoring on the way to another deep tournament run.

Booker is more than just a scorer, however, and is able to facilitate in half court. Although her 3-point field goal percentage has dipped compared to her sophomore season, she’s still able to provide spacing for Texas. Against Kentucky in the Elite Eight, she totaled 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists on the way to a 76-54 win for Texas that was never really in doubt.

Although the Longhorns have others with better percentages from deep, guard Jordan Lee is the team’s most willing outside shooter, hitting nearly 36% from range on more than three attempts a game.

Against Kentucky, Texas forced 24 Wildcat turnovers. The Longhorns boasted the third-best turnover margin in the country this season. Against a Michigan team that likes to bring pressure as well, the turnover battle could play a sizeable role in determining which program heads to Phoenix. The matchup represents a styles clash as well — the Wolverines are the eighth-best scoring offense in the country at 83.9 points per game, but Texas owns a top-15 scoring defense, limiting opponents to 56.4 points per game.

The contest is also taking place in Fort Worth, a much shorter trip from Austin than from Ann Arbor. The crowd is likely to be behind the Longhorns.

You can reach Arpan Lobo at alobo@freepress.com

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Texas

Texas A&M avoids sweep taking Game 3, 9-7, hands Texas rare home loss

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Texas A&M avoids sweep taking Game 3, 9-7, hands Texas rare home loss

No. 15 Texas A&M walked out of Austin with a hard‑earned win on Sunday, taking Game 3 of the rivalry series 9–7 to avoid the sweep in what felt every bit like a postseason matchup. The Aggies built an early lead, added crucial insurance late, and held off a furious seventh‑inning push from No. 1 Texas to snap the Longhorns’ nation‑leading win streak.

A&M once again struck first, continuing a trend from the entire weekend. Kennedy Powell’s speed immediately created pressure, turning a single into extra bases after a throwing error. Ariel Kowalewski followed with an RBI double, and Micaela Wark delivered a two‑run home run to give the Aggies a 3–0 advantage before Texas recorded its third out.

The Longhorns answered with a run in the bottom of the first, but KK Dement erased it with a solo shot in the second inning. A&M’s pitching and defense kept Texas quiet for the next three frames until a two‑run double trimmed the lead to 4–3.

With momentum shifting, the Aggies responded with their biggest inning of the series. Frankie Vrazel doubled, Powell doubled her home, and after a walk to Mya Perez, Kowalewski punched a two‑RBI single through the infield. Texas appeared ready to escape the inning, but consecutive defensive errors extended the frame and allowed three more Aggie runs to score, pushing the lead to 9–3 entering the seventh.

Texas refused to fold. The Longhorns put two on with no outs and pushed across a pair of runs, one on a sacrifice fly, another on a groundout. Down to their final out with no one on base, Texas launched back‑to‑back solo home runs to suddenly cut the deficit to two. Sydney Lessentine steadied the moment, inducing a pop‑up to the catcher to close out the win.

Across all three games, the rivalry delivered exactly what it promised. Intensity, high‑level softball, and postseason energy. While Texas claimed the series, the Aggies leave Austin with a top‑25 win, a snapped streak, and a performance that reinforced their ability to compete with anyone in the country.

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