AMARIILLO (March 27, 2009)--Highways west and north of Amarillo were closed Friday and forecasters say the Panhandle could get as much as a foot of snow and drifts of as much as 20 feet as a winter storm intensifies.

Officials closed Interstate 40 west of Amarillo and U.S. 287 north of the city early Friday.

All major highways around Dalhart in the northwest corner of the Panhandle also have been closed.

A Texas Department of Public Safety dispatcher in Amarillo says the National Guard has been placed on alert to help blizzard-stranded motorists, if needed.

In Central Texas, there’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms, some of which could be severe.

A wind advisory is in effect until midnight and gusts of as much as 40 miles per hour are possible as a cold front moves through.

Temperatures tonight will dip into the 30s.

Saturday will be sunny, but windy and cooler with highs only in the upper 50s.

Meanwhile golf ball-sized hail smashed windshields in fire trucks in Montague County as severe thunderstorms moved through the Red River Valley of North Texas.

The Montague County Sheriff's Office said there were also reports of funnel clouds but no major damage had been reported.

In nearby Cooke County, emergency dispatcher Amanda King said most of the area saw pea sized-hail, but no major damage was reported.

Preliminary storm reports from the National Weather Service showed numerous reports of golf-ball sized hail and heavy damage to four fire department vehicles.

Tornadoes were reported near Muenster and near Nocona in North Texas and near George West in South Texas and Huntsville in Southeast Texas.

No injuries were reported.