Ice Days from Texas to Tennessee
- A three-day ice accumulation of up to half an inch exists over parts of central Texas and Arkansas.
- In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, a winter storm warning was in place until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
- Wind chill warnings and advisories have been issued from Oregon to Wisconsin.
DENVER — Fifty million Americans were under winter weather watch and advisories Monday amid warnings of a “prolonged and potentially significant icing event” affecting at least 15 states.
Part of the nation, from Texas to Ohio and Tennessee, braced for days of hazardous travel conditions as an arctic cold front swept across the southern plains and south-central, the National Weather Service said. . Freezing rain totals could become significant in parts of central Texas, southwestern Oklahoma and central Arkansas, the weather service said.
“The interaction of an arctic air mass and moisture will set the stage for a wide area of hazardous travel conditions early in the week,” said Weather Services meteorologist Craig Snell. “Accumulations of sleet and freezing rain are likely to create widespread hazardous travel conditions for several days in a row.”
Icy Developments:
- Three-day ice accumulation could exceed half an inch over parts of central Texas and Arkansas. Parts of Tennessee could see more than a quarter inch of ice.
- In addition to potentially hazardous travel conditions, scattered tree damage and power outages are possible, the weather service warned.
- In Maine, where temperatures are expected to drop to minus 14 degrees this week, thousands of residents will begin receiving $450 in energy cost relief payments.
- Monday’s forecast calls for heavy rain and flooding across large parts of the Hawaiian Islands.
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Freezing conditions hamper travel, flight issues affect Texas
More than 1,100 flights, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware, were canceled on Monday as freezing weather hit the United States. Flight delays have also increased, with more than 5,400 flights to or from the United States being delayed.
Most delays and cancellations affect Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airports in Texas.
Much of Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is under a winter storm warning through Wednesday. The weather service warned of dangerous road conditions and told travelers to be careful driving.
“Hazardous travel conditions are expected during this period, with icy bridges/passages and surface streets,” the weather service said Monday.
Denver ties cold record: ‘It’s brutal out there’
In Denver, the overnight low hit minus 10, tying the record set in 1985, according to the National Weather Service, which warned of wind chills down to minus 19 degrees at Denver International Airport on Monday. , and minus 23 in the eastern plains of the state.
“It’s really brutal out there,” said Andrew Karras, a Denver city park ranger.
Like his colleagues, Karras monitored homeless people who refused to go to emergency shelter. An estimated 2,000 people are homeless in Denver. While camping in city parks is illegal, rangers are suspending cold weather enforcement and instead focusing on helping homeless people with hats, gloves, blankets, snacks and heaters. -hands.
“We’re handing out a lot of hand warmers right now. They look a bit like a band-aid, but they can help keep people’s fingers from freezing,” Karras said. “We don’t want anyone freezing to death. That’s the most important thing right now.”
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Heavy Snow in the West, Great Lakes
Heavy snowfall was forecast for parts of the mountains in western Colorado. Travel can be difficult at times for some of the higher mountain passes. Further east, lake effect snow is likely downwind of the Great Lakes early this week. The largest amounts over 6 inches are possible off Lake Superior and Lake Erie.
Snow was spreading lower than usual in the mountains of Southern California, and snow was falling Monday on Interstate 5 in Grapevine. The weather service said traffic was being escorted onto the freeway due to dangerous conditions.
Low snow levels will likely cause travel issues Monday on the 14 Freeway and other major arteries in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the weather service said.
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Cold front will sweep east, but NYC remains snow-free
Periods of light snow are possible throughout the interior of the northeast and mid Atlantic as a cold front spreads through Tuesday. The region then faces several days of temperatures well below average, with some plummeting to 50 degrees between Thursday and Saturday. Washington, DC, will see a low of 15 degrees on Saturday; Philadelphia will drop to 10 degrees and Boston has minus 6 degrees to expect this weekend.
The cold front is unlikely to bring snow to New York, which hardly looks like a winter wonderland these days. The city has yet to receive any measurable snowfall this winter, defined as at least one-tenth of an inch accumulating on the ground. New York has never been so late in the winter without snow, and a second record is within reach.
The current 327 consecutive days without snow is only five fewer than the longest of those periods, which ended in mid-December 2020, and there is no shower in the forecast for the week, according to National Weather Service meteorologist James Tomasini.
“Storm traces and cold air remained north and west of the area,” he said.
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Dallas-Fort Worth storm warning lasts through Wednesday
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, a winter storm warning was in place until 6 a.m. Wednesday. The weather service said mixed precipitation, mostly in the form of freezing rain and/or sleet, was expected. “Significant impacts” on travel could begin as early as Monday afternoon and continue through at least Tuesday evening, the weather service said. Elevated surfaces such as bridges and overpasses will be the first to become icy, slippery and dangerous when temperatures hover around or below freezing.
The Fort Worth Weather Service office said it received several traffic accident reports before 6 a.m. Monday and repeatedly urged drivers to slow down, especially on icy-prone bridges and overpasses.
Further south in San Antonio, driving conditions were expected to resemble those at the Metroplex later in the day.
“Those in the most affected areas should consider completing their last minute travel plans by noon today,” the San Antonio Weather Services office said. “The condition of icy roads could deteriorate rapidly this afternoon.”
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Freezing cold snaps Midwest, Northwest
Cold air responsible for the frigid forecast in the Mid-South also resulted in a frosty start to the work week across the central United States and some western states, the weather service said. Temperatures were 20 to 30 degrees below average in parts facing high single-digit temperatures from the Central High Plains to the Upper Midwest on Monday.
“Gusty winds will also create dangerous wind chills, as low as 55 below zero across the northern plains this morning,” the weather service said.
Wind chill warnings and advisories have been issued from Oregon to Wisconsin.
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