A winter storm that brought ice, sleet and snow to southern and central regions of the US has killed two people, caused the cancelation of more than 1,700 flights and shutdown major highways.
More than 40 million people from Texas and Oklahoma to Kentucky and West Virginia have been warned of ice and wind chills of 50 degrees below zero.
On Tuesday morning the National Weather Service warned of ice across Arkansas and Tennessee too as roads in central Texas and southern Oklahoma froze over.
Police in Arlington, Texas, said that one person was killed when their vehicle rolled over an icy stretch of highway along Interstate 20. While another was killed in a 10-car pile-up in Austin, the fire department said.
More than 40 million people from Texas and Oklahoma to Kentucky and West Virginia have been warned of ice and wind chills of 50 degrees below zero
A vehicle rests on a barricade as the driver lost control and slid off Highway 6 on in Waco, Texas
In Texas ice was a major concern as sub-zero temperatures resulted in sleet and icy roads
More than 900 flights into and out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport were canceled due to the icy conditions
In the early hours of the day the extreme weather had been centered on Dallas, resulting in the cancelation of more than 900 flights into and out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, according to flight-tracking site Flight-Aware.
The storm brought with it major road closures too, affecting swathes of both the I-35 and I-40 as roads were slickened by freezing conditions and rain.
The National Weather Service warned of a ‘prolonged and significant ice storm’ that would ‘continue impacting a large area from the southern Plains to the Tennessee Valley’.
It advised that the storm was likely to continue until at least Thursday and would see bursts of sleet and freezing rain.
In Texas ice was the main concern, with as much as three quarters of an inch expected in the coming days. Since temperatures across much of the state were below freezing, precipitation fell in the form of frozen rain and sleet.
Austin Fire Department said that since early on Tuesday it had responded to more than 50 reports of collisions and pile ups.
One person was knocked off of a bridge in the city after they exited their car amid the horrendous weather and was hit by an oncoming vehicle.
Later in the morning one of its fire trucks was hit by another vehicle while at the site of a previous collision.
In Arlington, the victim was killed after driving at ‘unsafe speeds’ in a black 1997 Toyota 4Runner and losing control, resulting in a rollover crash.
Dallas Police received 371 reports of accidents on Monday as ice began accumulating across the state, police spokesperson Brian Martinez told CNN.
Lighter icing is also expected around Oklahoma City as well as central Arkansas and Western Tennessee. Those in Oklahoma City are advised that they can expect less than a quarter of an inch of ice.
There were warnings of similar amounts of ice in Louisville and Kentucky.
Freezing rain was predicted by the National Weather Service, affecting a range of states from Texas through to West Virginia
Austin Fire Department said that since early on Tuesday it had responded to more than 50 reports of collisions and pile ups
On Monday night Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced he had allocated state resources to helping Texans deal with the extreme conditions
‘The power grid itself is functioning very effectively as we speak right now,’ Abbott said on Tuesday
On Monday night Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced he had allocated state resources to helping Texans deal with the extreme conditions.
‘The State of Texas is working tirelessly to ensure Texans and their communities have the resources, assistance, and support needed to respond to winter weather impacts across the state,’ said Abbott.
The weather service said the ice would lead to ‘treacherous’ travel conditions, as well as tree damage and power outages in the hardest-hit regions.
In February 2021 Texas experienced an intense winter storm that caused a power outage and widespread blackouts.
Months later the state announced that its official death toll from the storm was at least 246. Causes of death ranged between carbon monoxide poisoning and hypothermia.
Abbott said later on Tuesday that in spite of those outages in 2021 the Texas power grid is working as intended and no problems are expected.
‘The power grid itself is functioning very effectively as we speak right now,’ Abbott said. ‘And there is not anticipated to be any challenge to the power grid in the state of Texas.’
Dallas and other parts of North Texas are under a winter storm that is expected to last until at least Thursday
The governor of Arkansas Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders also declared an emergency in the state
Ice warnings on Texas roads issued by the Texas Department of Transport
The Texas National Guard is prepared to assist stranded motorists, clear roadways and provide welfare checks. Texas Parks and Wildlife has at least 30 personnel prepared for search and rescue operations, the state said.
Similar provisions were made by state officials in Arkansas.
‘I encourage Arkansans who are experiencing winter weather to avoid travel if possible and heed the warnings of local officials,’ Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a tweet.
Her emergency order directed $250,000 to the state’s Division of Emergency Management to fund administrative costs in the wake of the storm.
‘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 Arkansas is expected to be impacted and Parker said the state will be treating most major roads for the ice.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk