Bands of sleet and snow that brought traffic to a standstill across the nation's midsection, canceled thousands of flights and were blamed for six deaths caused dangerous conditions for a third day Wednesday in several Southern states.
Watches and warnings stretched from Texas to West Virginia. Several rounds of mixed precipitation, including freezing rain and sleet, were in store for many areas throughout the day, meaning some regions could be hit multiple times, forecasters said.
Here are the latest Key Messages for the significant ice storm affecting portions of the Southern Plains and Mid-South. Additional ice accumulations are expected through Wed night into Thurs. Impacts include treacherous travel, power outages, and tree damage. pic.twitter.com/8NwWH3gpVA
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) February 1, 2023
More than 1,400 flights scheduled for Wednesday nationwide had already been canceled by Wednesday morning, according to the tracking service FlightAware. The list for cancellations included both major airports in Dallas and airports in Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee.
As the ice and sleet enveloped Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis-Shelby County Schools announced it would cancel classes Wednesday due to freezing rain and hazardous road conditions. The school system has about 100,000 students. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis was also closed due to the weather.
The Dallas Independent School District, with about 145,000 students, also canceled classes Wednesday.
Emergency responders rushed to hundreds of auto collisions across Texas on Tuesday and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott urged people not to drive. At least six people died on slick Texas roads since Monday, including a triple fatality crash Tuesday near Brownfield, about 40 miles southwest of Lubbock, and two law officers in the state were seriously injured, authorities said.
In Arkansas, Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency Tuesday because of icy conditions. Her declaration cited the “likelihood of numerous downed power lines” and said road conditions have created a backlog of deliveries by commercial drivers.
Wintry weather scrubs more than 1,000 flights in US
More cancellations are expected in coming days as Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas deal with freezing temperatures and wintry precipitation.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
