A powerful winter storm that dumped heavy snow and iced roads across much of Texas and Oklahoma moved eastward across the southern U.S. states overnight, causing governors to declare states of emergency and enforcing the entire region. This resulted in the closure of schools.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders activated the National Guard to help stranded motorists.
On Friday, schools were canceled for millions of children in many states in the South, from Texas to Georgia, and as far east as South Carolina.
The heaviest snow is expected to fall in the northern half of Arkansas and much of Tennessee on Friday, with some areas in those states seeing snow totals ranging from 6 to 9 inches, according to the National Weather Service. It became.
Further south and east into Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, a mix of sleet and freezing rain made winter travel treacherous.
The storm dropped as much as 7 inches in some places in central Oklahoma and north Texas before moving into Arkansas.
More than 4,500 flights were delayed and another 2,000 canceled on Thursday, with more delays and cancellations expected on Friday.
Charles Daniel, a truck driver who pulls a 48-foot trailer loaded with paint, auto parts and other supplies, said: “I haven't seen any accidents, but I've seen some people stuck on the roads and sliding around.'' I've seen it before,” he said. Slippery, muddy roads in central Oklahoma on Thursday.
“People don't have to drive,” Daniel added.
Polar vortices of super-cold air usually revolve around the North Pole, but in some cases they can travel south and reach the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Paradoxically, experts say such events are happening more frequently because of the world's warming nature.
The cold snap coincided with the rare January wildfires that hit the Los Angeles area.
Snow and sleet in Texas and Oklahoma
National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Kirkwood said the storm that hit the Dallas area produced a “swath of snow” that spread across parts of Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina. He said it would have an impact.
Getty Images
Texas Governor Greg Abbott urged residents to avoid driving if possible.
Friday's Cotton Bowl college football championship semifinal game between Texas and Ohio State is expected to draw 75,000 fans to Arlington's AT&T Stadium, making roads potentially dangerous. .
southern malaise
The system is expected to move northeast by Friday, bringing heavy snow and freezing rain to the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina.
Up to 8 inches of snow could fall in parts of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia into Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Thursday as the northern half of the state braced for snow and ice starting Friday morning.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service warned that snow and ice could accumulate across metro Atlanta, making roads dangerous and causing power outages.
Public schools in metro Atlanta and northern Georgia canceled in-person classes Friday, leaving more than 1 million students facing a snow day or being told to learn online from home.
In Tennessee, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the state's largest school district with more than 100,000 students, closed all schools on Friday.
Up to 8 inches of snow is expected to fall in Memphis, and officials said two warming centers will be open 24 hours a day to provide shelter for people who need to escape the cold.
carolina ready
Parts of South Carolina are bracing for their first winter weather in three years.
The state Department of Transportation on Thursday cut off brine and salt supplies and began treating interstates and other major highways from northern Columbia.
School systems in these areas will either close early or all day on Friday, or hold online learning days.
AP
In North Carolina, Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, and forecasters said the storm could dump up to 3 inches of snow in many parts of the state, with even more in the mountains. It is said that there is a sex. Sleet and cold rain are also possible.
The approaching storm forced the cancellation of a public outdoor inauguration ceremony for Stein and other statewide elected officials in Raleigh on Saturday.
Boil water order issued for Virginia's capital
A boil water advisory was issued in Richmond, Virginia, as officials worked to restore water storage systems, but it was suspended Monday after storm-related power outages, Mayor Danny Abra said.
The city, which has a population of more than 200,000, distributed bottled water at 11 locations to reach elderly people and people unable to get there, officials said.
