Over 260,000 homes in the Dallas area were without power on Friday morning after a major ice storm coated trees and power lines.
A meteorologist with Accuweather wrote that it could be the worst ice storm to hit the United States in years.
Operations Director for Entergy Mississippi, which serves 700,000 customers in Arkansas, said that power restoration for all customers who could potentially lose power would run up to seven days.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency issued a state of emergency for crews to mobile for the storm. Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has declared a statewide emergency allowing crews extra powers to repair downed lines and damage to trees.
Up to 8 inches of snow is predicted for southern Missouri.
About 1,000 flights across the U.S. have been canceled on Friday including almost 700 in Dallas-Fort Worth.
The arctic blast that is bringing ice to parts of the lower Midwest and rust belt is bringing dangerously cold temperatures to the upper Midwest.
Oil workers in North Dakota reported temperatures in the single digits as they worked Wednesday with forecasts for Thursday and Friday showing highs from -6 to -10. Overnight lows reaching -25 are also predicted.
The cold is so severe that the Red Cross is telling residents of areas impacted by the cold to stay inside or to layer up should they be forced to leave the house. A Red Cross spokesman also asked for neighbors to watch out for elderly residents in their communities and those who might need special assistance, especially if they live alone.
The weather across Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota dumped up to three feet of snow in some locations and contributed to at least 11 deaths.
Officials from Texas to Ohio are telling residents to prepare for the possibility of days without power and impassable roads as a major ice storm moves into their region.
The storm that dumped several feet of snow on the Rocky Mountains moved south thanks to the jet stream moving significantly further south than normal. The storm stretches from south of Dallas, Texas to north and east of St. Louis, Missouri. The storm is expected to bring anything from sleet to inches of ice.
Arkansas is believed to be receiving the brunt of the storm with parts of the northeastern part of the state forecasted to receive up to 2 inches of ice through Friday. Ice storm warnings were issued for parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Officials said that major power outages are likely in areas forecasted for higher amounts of ice. They encouraged residents to prepare by stockpiling food and making arrangements to be ready to be without power for days.
Transportation experts said residents should also be ready to shelter in place as the ice could make roads impassable for at least a day.
At least six people are confirmed dead after a Sunday outbreak of tornadoes across the Midwest.
The town of Washington, Illinois was devastated by a massive tornado that tore an 1/8th mile wide track through the entire town. Mayor Gary Manier said that up to 500 homes have been damaged or destroyed and that some neighborhoods are completely destroyed.
“How people survived is beyond me,” Manier said.
The tornadic storms are considered unusual for mid-November. Damaging winds and tornadoes were reported in 12 states: Michigan, Iowa, Illnois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York.
The storms moved so fast at times that weather forecasters were warning people to see shelter even before they could see a change in the weather.
The storm threatened the Chicago area forcing the game between the NFL’s Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens to be delayed for two hours as teams and spectators huddled under the stadium.
The Centers for Disease Control is trying to find the source of an outbreak of Cyclospora that has sickened hundreds of people, mostly in the Midwest.
The mystery stems from the fact the parasite is not common in the United States but rather found in tropical locations like Latin America. The parasite also isn’t spread from person to person, so there has to be a contaminated food or water source. Continue reading →
Rivers from North Dakota to St. Louis are being issued flood warnings after a series of heavy thunderstorms dumped significant rainfall across the upper Midwest Wednesday.
The National Weather Service said more than 5 inches of rain fell in many areas and it was likely to have more rain through the night Wednesday into Thursday. However, local officials in parts of North Dakota reported 8 inches of rain and Iowa officials reported up to 7 inches. Continue reading →