A severe winter storm, one that government officials say could be the worst in two years, is pouring snow and ice across most of the U.S. midwest.
So far, one death has been attributed to the storm as an 18-year-old Oklahoma man died when his truck slid into an oncoming tractor trailer. Other serious accidents have been reported including a school bus that crashed on a steep, snow covered road in Arkansas leaving the driver and three students injured.
The storm’s sleet-driven nature has started to cause ice accumulation on power lines throughout the region. Massive power outages have not been reported as of 8 a.m. Central time Thursday. However, most power companies are reporting a series of small outages across their grids. Officials say the likelihood of significant outages increases the longer the storm continues into Thursday night.
The National Weather Service is predicting most areas will have at least half an inch of ice before the storm ends.
In addition, the upper Midwest will get hit with significant snowfall. Topeka, Kansas is looking at 13 inches of snow on top of the ice. Western parts of the Midwest already have 6-7 inches of snow as the storm continues to rage.