Denton County emergency and transportation department personnel are gearing up for what forecasters say may be another round of snowfall today.

Last week’s storm caused havoc on roads and trapped some county residents at home, but officials plan on being ready.

“We’re only looking at 1 to 1 1/2 inches of snow,” said Jody Gonzalez, director of Denton County emergency services. “For the North Texas area, the storm will not be anything [like] we saw Christmas Eve, but bear in mind it can change paths. Winter storms are the hardest to predict.”

Gonzalez participated in a statewide conference call with agencies including the Texas Department of Transportation, the military and the National Weather Service to discuss the forecast, potential impact and state resources available in times of need.

Gonzalez said the county is working with TxDOT and law enforcement to keep up with roads as well as getting emergency services to people who may need it, and if needed, the county is prepared to open a shelter.

His advice for residents: “If you don’t have to get out, don’t. If it’s possible, leave work in time or get back to the house before the storm hits. You [can] limit congestion for those folks trying to get home from work.”

Thursday’s snowfall created dangerous road conditions across North Texas.

Denton police fielded more than 130 weather-related calls, including 86 accidents, although few involved injuries and no deaths were reported, said Officer Ryan Grelle, a spokesman for the department. Police also handled dozens of calls from motorists who slid off the road or got stuck in the snow, Grelle said.

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Four days after a Christmas Eve snowstorm, snow drifts on Monday still block one lane of traffic on Wakefield Road, off FM2449 outside of Ponder.

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Coming off a Christmas holiday when he and some of his neighbors were stuck in their houses due to snowfall, resident Joe Thompson is concerned about tonight’s forecast of more snow.

Snow drifts were still blocking portions of Wakefield Road, west of Ponder off FM2449, on Monday. Though county crews were out working on the road, Thompson wished they had been there sooner.

“Christmas Day we had six vehicles stuck down here,” Thompson said. “It took tractors and winches to get people out.”

Thompson said farmers eventually used their vehicles to clear one lane of the roadway so people could get in and out. But for a couple of days, Wakefield Road was closed and no one could get out, he said.

Government officials said Monday they were monitoring the weather and readying road crews and sand trucks in case they’re needed.

The Denton County Transportation Authority employs a few different measures for the services it offers, said spokeswoman Dee Leggett.

For the local bus service, officials monitor street conditions.

If they worsen, bus service will be canceled and a supervisor will travel the routes to make sure no one is stranded at a bus stop.

The Commuter Express, which goes from Denton to Dallas, is treated differently because of the length of service. When wintry weather is pending and conditions are unsafe in the morning, service will be canceled, Leggett said.

If the weather starts off clear and worsens as the day goes on, DCTA officials stage a bus in downtown Dallas to bring commuters back — rather than trying to send a bus down Interstate 35E in the afternoon to get stuck, as it has in the past.

DCTA riders can sign up online to receive the dispatch office’s update messages via text message and e-mail, she said.

Denton road crews are also on call to respond to more bad weather, city spokesman John Cabrales said. The city is responsible for city roads, while TxDOT handles interstate highways and state-owned roads such as Loop 288.

Denton Municipal Electric also has crews on call to respond to power outages, spokeswoman Lisa Lemons said. No significant outages were reported Christmas Eve, she said.

Michelle Releford, a spokeswoman for TxDOT’s Dallas district, which includes Denton, said crews are “ready to go again.”

TxDOT road crews were busy treating area highways last week, but Releford said they still have plenty of materials — anti-icing liquid, sand, granular de-icer — to tackle another storm.

“We usually keep enough on hand for several ice storms in a row,” she said.

If temperatures dip to 40 degrees and continue dropping, crews will start pre-icing measures.

“The minute we start to see any freezing precipitation, we’re out with the sand trucks and [salt] mix,” Releford said.

“We’re just waiting on the storm.”

Staff writer Lowell Brown contributed to this report.

BJ LEWIS can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is blewis@dentonrc.com.