Biting cold sweeping the US with unknown frost
Extreme weather gripped large parts of the southern United States on Monday, with several governors declaring states of emergency and officials in Texas urging residents to conserve energy.
Dangerous driving conditions are hitting highways in states ill-equipped to handle icy and snowy roads, and Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi have declared states of emergency. Fortunately, many offices were closed for Martin Luther King's birthday.
In Texas, a message from Governor Greg Abbott painted a worrying picture, warning that much of the state is expected to experience subzero temperatures for “dozens of hours” this week.
Subzero wind chills were expected across much of the northern half of the state on Monday, according to the advisory. Just three years ago, a storm killed 246 people and knocked out electricity for millions.
Officials have since taken action to strengthen the power system. Still, the state's Electric Reliability Council put out a call, asking Texans to conserve energy Monday morning by avoiding the use of large appliances and turning off the lights.
At Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this weekend, delays and cancellations piled up as temperatures dipped below 10 degrees and gusts of wind blew snow across the runways.
On a crowded and long-delayed American Airlines flight to Sacramento, the pilot told passengers at 1 a.m. Monday that the de-icing line was 15 planes long.
Across the country, many regions experienced very cold, albeit slightly more familiar, conditions for this time of year.
In Iowa, where the presidential caucuses have begun, the National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening cold.” Temperatures hovered around 10 degrees below zero in Des Moines Monday morning, while wind chill was expected to drop to as low as 35 degrees below zero Monday through Tuesday morning.
Other parts of the Midwest and Great Plains also experienced dangerously low temperatures Monday morning. It was negative 24 degrees in Helena, Mont.; negative 9 degrees in Chicago; and negative 6 degrees in Omaha.
Although the Northeast was spared such extremely low temperatures, snow was forecast for parts of the Mid-Atlantic and parts of northern New England in the coming days. New York City could see its first measurable snowfall in nearly two years, with two to four inches expected to fall in and around the city starting Monday evening.
Yet it was the South that faced the kind of cold weather it rarely experiences.
In Memphis, the National Civil Rights Museum, located at the site of Dr. King in 1968, turning his annual King's Day celebration into a virtual event, and an annual 5K run in commemoration of Dr. King was postponed.
In Hernando, Miss., just south of Memphis, a Walmart employee posted a warning on Facebook: “If you're thinking about coming to Walmart for a heater, WE DON'T HAVE ANY. We had a few on the shelf and a few on sale and those are gone and no heated blankets either and I will keep you all posted if we get some.
At the nearby Gateway Tire & Service Center, employees took to Facebook to appeal to customers to stay off the road. But Greg Tutor, a salesman, said nearby Interstate 55 was moving.
“It's more snow than ice,” Mr. Tutor said, estimating local totals at about four to four inches.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation warned that ice covered roads in 30 counties.
State Rep. Dan Eubanks was one of the unfortunate ones. In a Facebook post late Sunday, he described being caught in a six-car pileup caused by black ice in nearby Batesville.
“Well, I didn't beat the winter storm, I think it beat me,” wrote Mr. Eubanks, a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Across Arkansas, low temperatures Monday morning were in the single digits or teens, with wind chills below freezing. The high was expected to reach just 23 degrees in Little Rock, and up to two inches of snow was expected in parts of the state.
The National Weather Service said several Arkansas cities broke records for low temperatures and snowfall on Sunday, with North Little Rock's low temperature of 8 degrees breaking the previous record of 10 degrees set in 1979.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation said Monday it had been working overnight plowing major highways and freeways and was working to create “one passable lane” in each direction.
Reporting was contributed by Michael Corkery in New York City; Mary Beth Gahan And Shawn Hubler in Dallas; Jessica Jaglois in Memphis; David Montgomery in Austin, Texas; And Erica Sweeney in Little Rock, Ark.