Southern US Braces for Winter Storm Threatening Snow in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas!

A winter storm in progress poses a threat of snow, sleet, and freezing rain in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas as frigid air from the Arctic sends temperatures plummeting in southern regions of the U.S. Meteorologists from the National Weather Service are forecasting wintry weather across the southern Plains region from Wednesday night onwards, with snow expected in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Further south, snow may transition to sleet and freezing rain, leading to potentially dangerous driving conditions.
The recent Arctic air mass that moved across much of the U.S. east of the Rockies over the weekend resulted in numerous car accidents and thousands of flight delays and cancellations. To combat the cold, several communities have opened warming shelters, including one at a roller rink in Cincinnati and another in the City Council chambers of Providence, Rhode Island.
As the cold front advances southward, a cold weather advisory has been issued for the Gulf Coast, with temperatures in El Paso dropping to 31 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 0.5 degrees Celsius) near the Texas-Mexico border. The National Weather Service projects wind chills between 0 and 15 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 to minus 9 degrees Celsius) early Wednesday.
The polar vortex, a system of extremely cold air typically centered around the North Pole, has moved southward into the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Some experts suggest that such cold air outbreaks are occurring more frequently due to global warming.
While areas to the north and east deal with snow and ice, preparations are underway in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Crews have been treating roads in the Dallas area ahead of expected snowfall on Thursday, with up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) predicted near the Oklahoma border. Officials are on high alert, with Dallas Director of Emergency Management and Crisis Response Kevin Oden stating, “Our city is in a preparedness phase.”
The impending storm could make roads hazardous on Friday as fans head to AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the Cotton Bowl game between Texas and Ohio State. Precautionary measures, including salt brine, sand, and standby equipment, have been put in place by crews to address any dangerous road conditions. Plans are in motion to ensure the safety of all attendees around AT&T Stadium on game day.
Parts of southeastern Georgia and northern Florida faced abnormally cold temperatures overnight into Tuesday, prompting freeze warnings into Wednesday. Growers in northern Florida are particularly concerned about the fern crop used in floral arrangements as Valentine’s Day approaches. Although major damage to citrus trees is less likely, precautions are being taken in commercial citrus groves across Florida.
Forecasters anticipate more snow and ice from the central Plains through the Ohio Valley into the mid-Atlantic region over the coming days, leading to the potential for treacherous black ice on roadways as the ground covering melts and refreezes.

Hundreds of car accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas, and Kentucky earlier this week, with a state trooper being treated for injuries after his patrol car was struck. In Virginia, three individuals lost their lives in vehicle crashes, as confirmed by state police. Additional weather-related fatal accidents occurred in West Virginia near Charleston on Sunday and in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Monday. Kansas experienced two deadly weekend crashes following snowfall exceeding a foot (30 centimeters) in certain areas.

As of Tuesday night, nearly 100,000 customers across states east of Kansas, including Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia, remained without power, according to data from the tracking website PowerOutage.us. This figure marked a decrease from the earlier count of over 200,000 affected customers.

Flight disruptions were also prevalent, with over 5,000 flights into or out of the U.S. being delayed on Tuesday, as reported by the tracking platform FlightAware. The previous day, more than 2,300 flights were canceled, and an additional 9,100 faced delays.

Due to a weather-related power outage that caused a malfunction in the water system, Virginia’s state Capitol and General Assembly buildings are set to remain closed on Wednesday. This closure forced the postponement of lawmakers’ first working day of the legislative session. Mayor Danny Avula of Richmond indicated that the boil-water notice issued for the city’s 200,000 residents might be lifted by Wednesday.

Reporting for this article was provided by Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, with contributions from Associated Press journalists Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Kentucky; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland; Julie Walker in New York; Joshua A. Bickel in Cincinnati; Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Michael Schneider in Orlando; Michael Casey in Boston; Hallie Golden in Seattle; and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington.

For more climate coverage from the Associated Press, visit http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment.

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