HOUSTON -- Rush hour drivers were slowed by heavy rain in the Houston area Thursday evening. The slick roads and poor visibility made it slow going.

The stormy weather was ushered in by a cold front. Matagorda County got the worst of it high winds and the possibility of large hail, according to 11 News Meteorologist Gene Norman.

Norman was busy tracking the lightning strikes along the coast.

"Almost 100 strikes within the past 15 minutes," he said at 6 p.m.

The rain could continue through early Friday morning, but the heavy stuff should move out of the area early Thursday night.

"And then get set for big changes," said Norman. "As that front moves through the area, our temperatures will plummet."

The northern counties even have a slight chance to see a small snow flurry mixing in with light rain.

In North Texas, snow and sleet fell across a broad area early Thursday afternoon, leading to more than 200 canceled flights at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and widespread cancellations of school sporting events and other activities.

Some flights in and out of Houston airports were also affected by the North Texas weather.

The freezing precipitation crept into northern Dallas County and much of Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties by early afternoon, the start of a storm that could blanket much of the region with up to six inches of snow by Friday.