CHICAGO (AP), — More than 200 000 homes and businesses were without power in the U.S. Thursday, as power companies struggled with the freezing rain and snow that weighed down tree branches and encrusted power line. This was part of a multiday snowstorm that dumped more snow than expected in some parts of the Midwest. It also triggered weather warnings across the Northeast and Texas.
Power outages caused by icy or downed lines were concentrated in Tennessee and Arkansas, but the path and strength of the storm travelled further from the central U.S. to the South and Northeast on Thursday.
Heavy snow was forecast from the southern Rockies to northern New England. Forecasters predicted heavy ice buildup from Texas to Pennsylvania.
Andrew Orrison, a National Weather Service meteorologist in College Park, Maryland said that “we have a lot on real estate covered by snow and sleet this morning.” “We have an extensive area of heavy snow and sleet occurring.”
Orrison stated that parts of New York, Ohio, and northern New England would see heavy snowfall as the storm moves east. Some areas could receive 12 to 18 inches (30-45 centimeters) of fresh snow through Friday.
The Storm Prediction Center stated that strong thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts or tornadoes could be possible on the warmer side of this storm Thursday in parts Mississippi and Alabama.
Victor Gensini, a Northern Illinois University meteorology professor, said that the Midwest snowstorm was not unusual. However, in some areas it was larger than usual and caused an intense snowstorm. He said that people have forgotten what Midwestern winter was like over the past few decades because of the warmer climate.
Gensini, 35, stated that the only incredible winters she has been able experience was through her parents’ 1970s photographs. This (storm) is a normal part of the game, not just for winters past but also for winters present.
In the southern Rockies, more than 20 inches (51 cmimeters) of snow were reported, while Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan saw more than a foot.
In the Dallas-Fort Worth region, as well as parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas, there was freezing rain and snow early Thursday. According to the website Poweroutage.us which tracks utility reports, more than 200,000 homes were without power in Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas.
Orrison stated, “Unfortunately, we are looking at enough of ice accumulations to be looking at significant travel impact.”
Tennessee was the state with the most power outages reported at midday, especially in Memphis and West Tennessee.
Memphis’ ice weighed down trees, leading to fallen branches and limbs. The ice layer on the cars was thick and officials in many communities warned about cars sliding onto slick roads.
Texas’s return to subfreezing temperatures brought about increased anxiety almost a year after February 2021’s devastating freeze which shut down the state’s power grid, resulting in hundreds of deaths and one of the worst blackouts in American history.
The Republican Governor of Texas is facing a new test in the grid. Greg Abbott assured that the grid was holding strong and would have enough power to withstand the storm. Texas was experiencing about 70,000 power outages on Thursday morning. Abbott and officials from the local government said this was not due to grid failures, but high winds, icy and downed transmission line, and not grid failures.
South Bend, Indiana reported a record snowfall on Wednesday, with 11.2 inches (28.5 cmimeters). This surpasses the previous record of 8 in (20.3 cmimeters) set in 1908. Hannah Carpenter, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Syracuse office, Indiana said.
She said that temperatures will drop once the storm passes. Friday’s highs will be in the teens, followed by lows of the single digits for northern Indiana.
Carpenter stated Thursday morning that “it’s certainly not going to melt real fast here.”
After the snowy weather, cold temperatures set in and residents of Kansas were woken up to wind chills as low as 15 degrees Celsius (26 degrees below zero). Schools and other services not required by the government were shut down in New Mexico on Thursday due to the icy roads.
The storm moved across the U.S. from Tuesday to Wednesday’s Groundhog Day. It was also the day Punxsutawney Ph had predicted six more weeks worth of winter. This storm followed a nor’easter last week that brought blizzards to many parts on the East Coast.
According to flight tracking service FlightAware.com, nearly 7,000 U.S. flights were cancelled by airlines. Over 1,000 flights were cancelled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday, while more than 300 were cancelled at Dallas Love Field.
