Winter ice storm: Millions across the South and central US brace as officials urge staying off roads
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CNN
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A winter storm bringing the triple threat of ice, sleet and snow Tuesday to parts of the South and central US has prompted officials to close roads and schools as they urge people to avoid traveling in dangerous conditions.
About 38 million people from Texas and Oklahoma to as far east as Kentucky and West Virginia are under various forms of winter weather alerts, including warnings of dangerous ice accumulations forecast to make roads a nightmare.
“In addition to potentially hazardous travel conditions, this amount of ice will lead to tree damage and power outages across the hardest-hit regions,” the National Weather Service warned in its forecast Monday.
By early Tuesday, freezing rain was being reported in areas across the South and ice was accumulating in Little Rock, Arkansas, where up to half an inch is possible.
Here’s what to expect throughout the day:
- Oklahoma City will see brief icing Tuesday morning, while the afternoon will bring significant icing to central Texas, central Arkansas and western Tennessee.
- Texas will be dealing with widespread icy conditions, with the heaviest accumulation likely coming Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning. Drivers in Dallas, San Antonio and Austin can expect dangerous conditions on roads.
- Residents in Oklahoma City are under a winter weather advisory through Wednesday afternoon, with the expectation of seeing up to two-tenths of an inch of ice.
- Icing up to two-tenths of an inch may also be seen in Louisville, Kentucky, while Charleston, West Virginia, may see sleet up to an inch and ice up to a tenth of an inch.
- The first wave of freezing rain will begin to weaken as it moves toward West Virginia by late morning.
In Texas, the governor asked the state’s emergency management division to increase its resources so it can be ready to respond through Thursday.
Several school districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Austin are closed Tuesday and more than 400 flights departing from Texas airports have been canceled. Some roadways in Texas have been shut down due to ice accumulation, according to the state’s transportation department.
In Arkansas, the governor declared a state of emergency Monday and activated the winter weather support teams of the state’s National Guard to be prepared to help respond to the storm.
“I encourage Arkansans who are experiencing winter weather to avoid travel if possible and heed the warnings of local officials,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Twitter.
The emergency order directs $250,000 toward discretionary use by the head of the state’s Division of Emergency Management to provide funding for program and administrative costs, the order stated.
“The real enemy is going to be that ice,” said Dave Parker, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Transportation. “This could potentially be a pretty dangerous situation.”
Most of the state is expected to be impacted, and the state is treating most major roads, Parker added.
The storm is poised to hit areas in the southern and central regions in waves through Wednesday.
And while the forecast shows there will be periods of reprieve over the next two days, roads will likely be dangerously slick throughout the storm as temperatures remain low.
Tuesday is expected to be the toughest day for driving as Texas bridges and roads become icy, according to the weather service’s Fort Worth office.
“More widespread freezing rain/sleet is expected Tuesday and Wednesday morning, with worsening travel impacts during this time,” the local weather agency said.
Significant icing of about half of an inch is expected on roads in Austin, San Angelo and Dallas. while San Antonio may see up to a tenth of an inch of ice.
Meantime, Texas’ primary electricity provider, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, told CNN it will be able to meet residents’ demand as temperatures plummet.
“We expect sufficient generation to meet forecasted demand and are continuing to monitor forecasts, this week. We are not asking for Conservation at this time. We are informing the public that IF they … experience an outage to reach out to their local power provider,” the agency said in an email.
In Dyer County, Tennessee, icy conditions led officials to shut down the Interstate 155 bridge, according to the highway patrol.
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