January 31, 2023 Ice storm hits the South and central US

The National Weather Service expanded the ice storm warnings across portions of western and central Texas. This includes areas around Midland as well as areas just west of Dallas, including Fort Worth.

The majority of these areas were under winter storm warnings today for a mix of freezing rain and sleet. The change to ice storm warnings is because the precipitation is expected to be almost exclusively freezing rain Wednesday and Wednesday night. 

This round of precipitation is also expected to be the heaviest of the week. Locations across central Texas have received around half an inch to an inch of sleet and up to a quarter of an inch of freezing rain since Monday. 

Areas under ice storm warnings are expected to receive up to, or even over half an inch of freezing rain in the next 36 hours. Half an inch of ice was reported on trees and power lines, which is enough to cause significant damage and power outages.

“Prepare for tree limb breakage and localized power outages in this region, in addition to hazardous or impossible travel conditions,” that National Weather Service in Dallas warned.

Much of central and eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee and northwestern Mississippi continue to be under ice storm warnings as well. In total, nearly 8 million people are included in ice storm warnings.

Overall, more than 30 million people are under some sort of winter weather alert from New Mexico to Virginia.

A number of school districts across western Tennessee and northwestern Mississippi have announced schools will be closed on Wednesday as the area remains under an ice storm warning.

Here are the districts that have made closure announcements:

The ongoing ice storm and winter weather that’s impacting at least eight states from Texas to West Virginia will continue to impact travelers at US airports Wednesday.

As of Tuesday evening, FlightAware reports 1,042 flights have been canceled for Wednesday.

Southwest Airlines is experiencing the most cancellations as of now, according to FlightAware.  

The airports that are experiencing the bulk of the cancellations are in Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth International, Dallas Love Field, and Austin-Bergstrom International. 

According to FlightAware, approximately 1,947 flights were canceled within, into or out of the US as of Tuesday night.

Texas is the only state reporting outages at this time, as more than 40 million people in the central and southern US experience winter weather.

According to PowerOutage.US, the state has 35,988 customers with no power.

Austin Water is prepared for the ongoing winter weather threat in Texas, an official told CNN Tuesday, saying that systems are operating normally. Austin is currently under a winter storm warning, according to the National Weather Service.

“Austin Water is operating normally and has taken numerous steps to prepare for the winter weather event this week,” spokesperson Emlea Chanslor said, adding the agency has completed all of its checks to increase “readiness for freezing temperatures and treacherous road conditions this week.”

These measures have been “developed based on lessons learned from recent emergency events,” she said. Austin Water serves more than 1 million customers in the area, according to its website. 

Austin and its water department faced challenges during the deadly winter storm in February 2021 with boil-water notices, broken pipes, and failing systems, CNN previously reported.

At one point during the storm in 2021, the city’s water supply lost 325 million gallons due to burst pipes, according to previous reporting. 

These are some of the steps the company has taken to increase preparedness, according to Chanslor:

The ongoing winter storm that’s creating treacherous conditions across the state of Texas has led to at least 215 collision calls in the city of Austin, the police department said in a tweet. 

Austin is the state capital of Texas and remains under a winter storm warning.

The post has been updated with the latest information from the APD.

A deputy in Travis County, Texas, which includes the city of Austin, is recovering from surgery after being injured in a weather-related crash.

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office said the deputy pulled over and got out of his car to help the driver of an 18-wheeler that went off the road just before 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. While he was helping the driver, another 18-wheeler truck slid and hit the deputy, pinning him under one of the tires, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

The deputy was in surgery as of Tuesday night and is expected to survive his injuries, the statement said.

“I want to offer my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who responded and assisted this deputy in his time of dire need. Both his biological and TCSO family are relieved and thankful that he’s alive,” Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez said in the statement. “Please, please don’t drive on these icy roadways. It’s not worth your life or the lives of the first responders who are literally putting their personal safety on the line.”

Millions of people in several states are under winter weather alerts. Two people were killed in weather-related incidents in Texas as Gov. Greg Abbott urged residents to stay home, saying about 1,600 roads will remain dangerous for the next 24 to 48 hours.

Authorities in Oklahoma are advising motorists not to travel on I-35 due to hazardous conditions from the ongoing winter storm impacting the region. 

“I-35 from Ardmore south to Texas is considered extremely slick and hazardous and travel is discouraged,” the Oklahoma Department of Transportation said in an afternoon update in a news release. 

I-35 runs between Oklahoma City and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. 

A winter storm warning is in effect for areas of Oklahoma and an ice storm warning is active for parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). 

Vehicles were backed up at least 10 miles on I-10 eastbound in Reeves County, Texas, on Tuesday as the area was struck with severe winter weather.

Reeves County Director of Communications Daniel Alvarado went live on Facebook with a warning.

“Drive the conditions, not the speed limit, during these winter weather conditions,” Alvarado said.

The video shows jackknifed semi-trucks on the roadway blocking both lanes of traffic, with multiple vehicles scattered in between. The pile-up spanned from mile markers 185 and 186, with both eastbound lanes closed. The footage shows the ground coated in frost.

Texas Department of Transportation workers pretreated the area Monday in anticipation of heavy freezing fog and wet roads.

In the video, you can hear police sirens as emergency vehicles drive by on the clear side of the interstate.

Alvarado once again encouraged drivers to reduce their speed and avoid travel if possible.

More than 1,600 flights have been canceled so far as winter weather impacts more than 40 million people in the central and southern US.

The cancelations are “concentrated where that storm is hitting. Nearly half of the cancelations are in Texas. And the vast majority are from two airlines: American and Southwest. Both based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And look, even though those cancelations largely happening in Texas right now, it could very well cause at least some ripple affect across the country for air traveler as crews and and aircrafts get potentially displaced, stranded and airlines try to put those pieces back together,” Cohen said.

Watch the full report here:

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01:41 - Source: cnn

Despite cold weather and icy conditions, the Texas power grid is working and no problems are expected according Gov. Greg Abbott.

“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.”

As of 9 a.m. CT, there were about 7,000 local power outages across state being addressed by local utilities, Abbott said.

Abbot added that the Public Utilities Commission is coordinating with utility providers and monitoring power outages.

“They have plenty of reserves and plenty of power,” he said.

The governor encouraged Texans to stay off the roads and avoid driving if they can. He said about 1,600 roads across the state are impacted by the ice. Texas DOT used more than 1.3 million gallons of brine and other material to treat the roadways and 2,100 pieces of DOT equipment are being used.

He said the Texas National Guard is prepared across the state to assist stranded motorists, clear roadways and provide welfare checks and Texas Parks and Wildlife has at least 30 responders preparing for search and rescue operations.

A massive power outage left millions of Texans without power in the wake of a 2021 winter storm. 

Colleyville Police Chief Michael C. Miller captured video of thundersleet and lightning in his Texas city, which is near Dallas and Fort Worth.

“Roads are slick and only getting worse. Stay home and keep warm!” Miller posted on Twitter.

 Police in Arlington, Texas, said Tuesday that as an ice storm began to bear down on the state, at least one person was killed when their vehicle rolled over on Interstate 20.

Police said they’ve responded to multiple wrecks, including a seven-vehicle pileup on Interstate 30.

“We continue to urge folks to stay home if you don’t absolutely have to be on the roadways right now,” police said. “Conditions continue to deteriorate.”

One person is dead after a 10-car pileup in south Austin, according to the Austin Fire Department.

Elsewhere in the city, AFD said one of its trucks was struck by vehicle while on the scene of another collision.

Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) said another multi-vehicle collision due to icing on State Highway 130 northeast of Austin resulted in two trauma patients transported to a nearby hospital after going over an overpass bridge.

One person had exited their vehicle, was struck by a car and went over the bridge, according to ATCEMS Capt. Darren Noak. Another person saw a vehicle sliding toward them and jumped off the bridge to avoid being hit, Noak said.

Both suffered “serious potentially life-threatening injuries,” according to ATCEMS.

As of 9:45 a.m. CT, emergency crews were actively responding or on the scene of three rollovers, eight traffic injuries and two vehicle rescues, Noak said.

The EMS service warned people to stay home for safety reasons.  

Officials in Forrest City, Arkansas, warned drivers that they should not travel if they don’t have to.

Interstate 40 and Highway 70 are “very icy,” leading to “extremely hazardous driving conditions.” The fire department shared photos of the aftermath of a large truck getting into an accident.

Medics from the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services say they are responding to a call for carbon monoxide exposure during the winter storm.

“Please remember, CO is an odorless/tasteless gas that can be deadly. DO NOT use stoves, ovens, or portable grills to heat your home. If using a generator, do so where there is sufficient ventilation,” it tweeted.

While power outages are limited right now, keep these tips in mind if you lose power during the storm:

A winter storm is bearing down across the South this week, and today is expected to be the toughest day for driving as Texas bridges and roads become icy, according to the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office. Drivers in Dallas, San Antonio and Austin can expect dangerous conditions on roads.

Driving in a snowstorm is difficult. Add wind gusts and poor visibility, and travel can become downright dangerous.

If you have to drive, here are a few tips for staying safe in winter weather:

Read more tips on driving safely in winter weather here.

The Dallas Zoo will remain closed through Wednesday because of winter weather conditions in the region, according to an announcement from the zoo.

“Due to continued icy and inclement weather conditions, the Zoo will remain closed tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 31 and Wednesday, Feb. 1,” it posted to its Facebook page. “As always, our animals will remain warm and cozy in their indoor habitats, and we hope you do too.”

The Dallas Zoo has been the subject of several incidents recently, including the tampering of its leopard and monkey habitats and the “suspicious” death of an endangered vulture. On Monday, the zoo said it believes two of its emperor tamarin monkeys have been stolen.

Dallas Police received 371 accident-related calls Monday as ice began accumulating across the state, according to police spokesperson Brian E. Martinez. 

From 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. local time Tuesday, Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) responded to at least 146 motor vehicle accidents. 

“While there are likely a lot more, this number reflects the number of incidents we were dispatched to. In the case of several responses (mostly on the highways) there were multiple accidents observed upon arrival,” DFR spokesperson Jason L. Evans said. 

Meanwhile, in the broader Dallas-Fort Worth area, MedStar tweeted that emergency medical crews responded to 142 traffic accidents, including 16 rollover crashes, eight patients suffering from hypothermia, and nine patients injured in falls from slipping on ice. 

More than 1,000 flights were canceled across the United States Tuesday, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware, as extreme winter weather affects parts of the country.

Nearly 300 flights have been canceled departing Dallas-Fort Worth International and almost 70 flights have been canceled departing Dallas Love Field. Other notable cancellations are over 80 flights departing Austin-Bergstrom International and 45 flights departing Nashville.

The first wave of freezing rain and sleet will begin to weaken after moving through central Tennessee, central Kentucky and southern West Virginia.

Another round of freezing rain and ice will begin throughout much of Texas at daybreak on Tuesday and head to Oklahoma by the mid-morning, and head to Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville through the day Tuesday.

Freezing rain falling at rates of more than .05 inches per hour is expected from central Texas, southeastern Oklahoma and portions of Arkansas, the Storm Prediction Center wrote in a forecast discussion this morning.

Temperatures across much of Texas are near or below freezing, so any precipitation that falls this morning will be in the form of freezing rain or sleet. Some of these storms are also convective in nature, so thundersleet is likely — especially south of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex — according to the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth.

The storms will continue to spread in coverage, spreading northeast across southern Oklahoma and western Arkansas through late morning to midday, the storm center added.

This will lead to worsening impacts on roads and travel as well as power outage potential from falling trees and power lines.

More than 40 million people remain under winter storm alerts this morning, which include ice storm warnings, winter storm warnings, and winter weather advisories that stretch from southeastern New Mexico to West Virginia. 

Additional rounds of heavy icing are expected today across portions of Texas through the Tennessee River Valley. 

Cities under the ice storm warnings include Memphis and Little Rock. Meanwhile, Dallas, San Antonio, San Angelo and Waco remain under winter storm warnings.

“Multiple rounds of wintry precipitation are forecast, with brief lulls followed by bursts of sleet and freezing rain that could drastically deteriorate road conditions,” the Weather Prediction Center said this morning.

Ice accumulations of one-tenth of an inch to three-tenths of an inch have already been recorded across portions of Arkansas, Texas and Kentucky since yesterday. 

“The Tuesday morning commute could become treacherous, especially in areas where residual moisture/slush from yesterday’s wave of precipitation has refrozen,” the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth said.

The heaviest ice accumulation of one to three quarters of an inch is forecast across a large portions of Texas through Thursday morning. However, a more widespread swath of one quarter of an inch of ice is possible across southern Oklahoma, Arkansas, northwestern Mississippi and portions of Tennessee.

“The next widespread wave of precipitation looks to develop by late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning,” the weather service office in Fort Worth said. “Wednesday night and Thursday should be the final hurrah of this prolonged Winter Storm.”

Due to anticipated inclement weather, several school districts across Texas have announced they will be closing their campuses on Tuesday. 

The following districts in the Dallas/Fort Worth area will be closed: 

The following districts in the Austin area will be closed: