Satellite image showing winter weather stretching from Texas to the mid-Atlantic. Image: NOAA
A combination of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and arctic air flowing southward from Canada has left millions of people in ice storms for extended periods of time in at least eight states.
Big picture: At least two people died in Texas on Tuesday as sleet, snow and freezing rain disrupted roads and airways in Dallas. A wave of mixed precipitation is forecast to spread northeast over time and continue into some areas early Thursday morning.
- Ice storm warnings have been issued for central, northern and western Texas, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and much of Arkansas.
- Major winter storm warnings and weather warnings have been issued for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, West Virginia and Virginia.
Zoom in: The National Weather Service warned of “significant impacts” from freezing rain, sleet and thunderstorms, including in Dallas and Fort Worth.
- A number of car crashes were reported Tuesday along Interstate 35 between Dallas and Oklahoma City, Austin police reported. dozens of accidentsincluding its own personnel from midnight to Tuesday morning.
- One person died in Austin after being stuck in traffic on Tuesday. Another, a 45-year-old man, died Monday night after his car slid into a guardrail on a highway near Dallas in icy road conditions and rolled down an embankment.
- Tuesday afternoon at the NWS Forecast Office in Dallas issued an ice storm warning Up to half an inch of ice accumulation in areas west of I-35, including Fort. Worth, Denton, Mineral Wells.
Threat level: The winter mix, which had dropped significantly in some areas, was expected to worsen in the short term as the NWS forecast office in Dallas urged people to avoid travel as much as possible until early Thursday. rice field.
- In an online forecast debate, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, “Multiple winter precipitation forecasts could lead to brief lulls followed by sudden onsets of sleet and freezing rain that could significantly worsen road conditions. There is,” he said.
- Where most sub-zero rains were predicted, ice masses in excess of 0.25 inches were expected over wide areas, with as much as 0.75 inches in some locations. More than half an inch of ice can weigh trees and power lines, causing power outages.
note: Areas at highest risk of blackouts appeared to be from Little Rock to Memphis and parts of Texas.
- “Large accumulations of ice and sleet are expected over much of the region, resulting in widespread impacts on travel and infrastructure,” the NWS Forecast Office in Memphis said in a discussion of the forecast. increase.
- More than 22,500 customers in Texas lost power early Wednesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
flight delay
- In addition to treacherous roads, winter storms have also caused air travel delays, spilling over across the country.
- until 9:40 Afternoon EST, 1,963 flights inside and outside the US were canceled on Tuesday. Most flights depart from Dallas Fort. Worth International Airport, according to FlightAware data. At least 4,616 flights were delayed.
- FedEx’s major hubs of Memphis International Airport, Austin and Nashville have also experienced numerous flight cancellations and delays related to the winter storms.
Arctic Aviation Sets Record
What’s next: Cold air causing ice mixing is setting records in the Rocky Mountains and Plains, and by this weekend one of the coldest outbreaks in years, possibly decades, will roar over New England.
- Temperatures in Wyoming dropped to minus 30 degrees on Tuesday morning, and Denver hit a low of minus 10 degrees on Monday.
- Part of the polar vortex in the lower atmosphere swept across New England from Hudson Bay on Saturday, Transmission temperature plummets in a strong northwesterly wind.
- Wind chills in Boston can reach minus 30°F, and northern New England can reach minus 50°F wind chills.
- Fortunately, the Siberian-level cold is short-lived and temperatures should be moderate by Monday.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.
