Texas snowstorm snarls transport, cancels nearly 600 flights

By Marice Richter DALLAS (Reuters) - A storm that dusted the Dallas area on Friday with about 1 to 3 inches of snow caused hundreds of traffic accidents and led to more than 600 flight cancellations. Flight tracker FlightAware.com said as of 4:30 p.m. CST, 595 flights were canceled at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, one of the nation's busiest and a hub for major carrier American Airlines. The slippery weather conditions also led to a pileup of nearly 40 vehicles in Melissa, about 35 miles north of Dallas. No fatalities or serious injuries were reported, Department of Public Safety officials reported. "Travel is being discouraged until the weather system passes," DPS spokesman Lonny Haschel said. Snow and slick conditions prompted the closing of parts of Interstate 35, a major thoroughfare for north-south travel, for several hours. Light snow was forecast to continue to fall in the region through Friday evening followed by freezing rain on Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. (Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Bill Trott)