Snow in Texas, Georgia and New Mexico: a powerful winter storm rages in traditionally warm states - ForumDaily
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Snow in Texas, Georgia and New Mexico: powerful winter storm rages in traditionally warm states

More than 300 consumers from Texas to Pennsylvania were left without power on Thursday, February 000, in the evening. A powerful winter storm continues to move east across the United States bringing sleet and freezing rain. Authorities are urging drivers to stay off the roads. Read more about the situation with the storm told the publication The Washington Post.

Photo: Shutterstock

More than 90 million Americans from Texas to the northern border of Maine have been included in winter storm and ice storm warnings. The warnings cover about 2000 miles (3 km) in length.

Severe thunderstorms broke out in parts of Mississippi and Alabama in warm, unstable air in the Southeast on Feb. 3 afternoon, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), triggering numerous tornado warnings. One person died and at least eight were injured when a "large and extremely dangerous tornado" swept through Sawyerville, Alabama.

To the west and north, snow, ice, and freezing temperatures hindered traffic as far south as Austin and western Houston, and extended north and east through Dallas, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Memphis, St. Louis, Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

With ice accumulating on trees and power lines, the number of power outages in Tennessee rose to 3 on the night of Feb. 135, many of them near Memphis, where Mayor Jim Strickland declared a state of emergency. According to the Memphis Fire Department, ice in Memphis caused a 000-vehicle crash that injured 16 people.

Up to half an inch (1,2 cm) of ice accumulated on tree branches in Memphis, which broke under its weight. Local utility MLGW said it could take several days for power to be restored.

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Outages were also on the rise in Ohio (76), West Virginia (000) and Pennsylvania (22), according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.

In Texas, Arkansas, and Kentucky, where outages peaked at around 3, 70, and 000, respectively, since Thursday morning, February 25, they slowly declined through the evening as freezing rain turned to sleet and then decreased. The number of outages in Texas fell to less than 000 and less than 20 in Arkansas and Kentucky on the evening of Feb. 000.

In Kentucky, some areas hardest hit by icing and power outages were hit by a deadly tornado outbreak in December.

Air travel across the country was hampered by the ongoing storm. According to tracking website FlightAware, there have been more than 5500 cancellations and 3300 delays, with many of them in Texas.

More than 1100 flights departing from or arriving at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport have been cancelled. Earlier it was reported that the runways are being cleared of snow and ice. More than 400 flights have been canceled at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, with at least 350 canceled at Dallas Love Field.

Icefall concentrated roughly from east Texas to west Pennsylvania. To the north, heavy snowfall dropped at least 6 inches (15,2 cm) on St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cleveland. Friday, February 4th. predicted it in Buffalo and Burlington, Virginia.

The National Weather Service has warned of dangerous road conditions in the affected areas, with temperatures likely to be well below average for at least the next couple of days.

Parts of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Plains could see temperatures as low as 20 to 40 degrees below average, according to the weather service. This storm is already being called the "largest, longest and most significant."

What happened on the evening of February 3

The icefall ended in Texas, Arkansas, and western Tennessee on the evening of Feb. 3, but extended from Ohio to Maine.

Moderate to severe winter weather persisted from southern Ohio to western Pennsylvania. One to two inches (2,5-5 cm) of sleet and ice accumulated in the region.

Further north in a wide area from Columbus (Ohio) to Virginia and much of Maine, it snowed steadily.

Meanwhile, heavy rains have fallen in the warm South, and flash floods are being observed in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Forecast

The most significant icefall will move from Tennessee to West Virginia and western and central Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania may experience significant icing before the precipitation turns to snow. Areas northwest of New York and in the Hudson Valley could also experience freezing weather on the morning of Feb. 4.

It will snow in Pennsylvania, upstate New York, and Vermont on February 4th. Precipitation that fell in Maine and New Hampshire on Thursday afternoon could continue until Friday evening.

The final act of the storm will come on February 4 in eastern New England, when the morning rain will give way to ice cages, sleet, and also solid snow. Temperatures will drop to 20 degrees (-6,6 Celsius) by the end of the day.

A "sudden icing" on the night of early Saturday, Feb. 5 will cause any residual moisture and slush on the roadway to harden and freeze.

Energy situation in Texas

Ahead of the hurricane, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said "no one can guarantee" there will be no power outages during the state's first major power grid test, a year after a historic frost killed hundreds and left millions without power in 2021.

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The number of outages was "certainly an inconvenience, but not that big in terms of what you can expect from a hurricane and an ice storm," said Michael Webber, professor of energy resources at the University of Texas at Austin.

Last year's outages were mainly due to "a huge imbalance between supply and demand," he said, but those outages appear to have been triggered by high winds and ice buildup.

Daniel Cohen, an associate professor of environmental engineering at Rice University in Houston, assured that the outages were contained, "which can happen anywhere in the world when you get hit by an ice storm, knocking down tree branches and affecting local power lines."

In advance of the winter storm, the Texas power grid said its power generation and transmission facilities were up to new standards.

“This wide-area storm will not be as cold and prolonged as last year,” he said. "It's a simpler and gentler storm in many ways, and the equipment needs to be in better shape."

According to Webber, in the coming days it is necessary to monitor how cold it is in Houston. The largest city in the state will largely determine the level of demand for electricity. He said he is also interested in how gas systems and gas producing regions will withstand the cold and how this will affect the gas supply.

Cohen said he is monitoring how the wind farms are performing, whether the main gas pipelines remain operational and "are our old plants performing better than they did last year."

Total amount of snow and ice so far

Snow piled up to impressive and devastating levels overnight on February 3, and huge amounts of rain were recorded in dozens of places. Tao Sky Valley (New Mexico) led the way with 37 inches (93 cm) of snow.

The icing lagged behind the snow by about 12 hours.

In Texas, Hunt, Fannin and Collin counties, north and east of Dallas, reported tree damage from ice buildup on Wednesday, Feb. 2 evening. Up to 0,5 inches of ice accumulated in Plano, while the Weather Service reported about 0,1 inches of ice near the Wichita Falls.

Little Rock received more sleet than freezing rain, with the weather service reporting 2,5 inches north of Little Rock.

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