US winter storm: Snow and freezing rain hit southwest to northeast, canceling 4,800 flights and cutting power
A massive winter storm battered much of the US on Thursday, dropping snow and freezing rain from Texas to New York and canceling more than 4,800 flights and leaving thousands without power.
The storm dumped a foot of snow in some parts of the nation and ice piled up on roads from the southeast to northeast. Meanwhile, parts of the south were under warnings for flash flooding and tornadoes.
More than 4,800 flights were canceled and hundreds were delayed as of early afternoon Thursday, according to the tracking website FlightAware. More than 10% of flights were either canceled or delayed, as the Federal Aviation Administration handles about 45,000 flights daily. The largest airport in Dallas, Texas, had one of its runways shuttered until around noon, grounding a whopping 65% of its flights.
Around 3pm ET, close to 130,000 customers in Tennessee, more than 45,000 in Texas and over 20,000 in Arkansas were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
North Texas braced for two to four inches of snow and sleet, and local officials urged residents to stay off the streets. Governor Greg Abbott said it was ‘one of the most significant icing events that we’ve had in the state of Texas in at least several decades’.
Thursday’s winter storm slammed Texas a year after a deep freeze caused more than 200 deaths in Texas as well as widespread power outages. But this time, Abbott said the state is in better shape.
‘The power grid is performing very well,’ Abbot said. ‘There is plenty of power available at this time, as well as plenty of power expected for the remainder of today and early tomorrow.’
The winter storm is projected to move east on Thursday, with 18 inches of snow possible in upstate New York as well as Maine.
‘This newest storm is poised to hit us with everything in the weather arsenal – heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain,’ New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Wednesday.
An ice storm warning was issued for western Tennessee and Kentucky. Accumulating ice caused traffic accidents and downed trees in Memphis.
‘The unusual part is the amount. Usually the storms move, but this storm is sort of sitting over us,’ National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Salem told The New York Times of the rain.
Heavy rain and snow are forecast through Friday.
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