West News Wire: This week’s ice storm in Texas is paralyzing highways, halting schools, and causing travel cancellations.
Beginning on Monday, the freezing rain is anticipated to linger until Thursday morning. The ice will extend from Texas through Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky.
A layer of ice and one to two inches of sleet have already fallen in some locations, making driving a nightmare.
The ice will start to fall by Tuesday night in Austin, Dallas, Little Rock, Arkansas, Memphis, and the area around Nashville, Tennessee.
The region of Texas with the most ice on Wednesday morning will stretch from Midland to Austin and into Dallas.
Power lines, roadways, and sidewalks could all be covered with ice accumulation that might reach 1 inch in some places.
The ice could weigh down power lines and trees, so officials are urging Texans to be prepared for power outages and be mindful of the possibility of trees falling onto cars and homes.
The National Weather Service is urging people to avoid driving if possible. Many Dallas-area schools closed for Monday and Tuesday.
In Austin, firefighters said they’ve responded to over 90 accidents so far on Tuesday.
The department also said there have been two fires caused by space heaters.
More than 1,000 flights have been canceled in the U.S. as of Tuesday morning. Nearly 700 arrivals and departures have been canceled at Dallas’ airports.
A devastating ice storm in February 2021 crippled the state’s power grid and left millions without power or running water for days in freezing weather.
Meanwhile, the Midwest is facing dangerously cold temperatures.
On Tuesday morning, the wind chill what temperature it feels like plunged to minus 23 degrees in Minneapolis and minus 11 in Chicago.
