Ice storm warnings expanded to portions of western and central Texas for Wednesday
13 hr ago
Ice storm warnings expanded to portions of western and central Texas for Wednesday
From CNN’s Taylor Ward
The National Weather Service expanded the ice storm warnings across portions of western and central Texas. This includes areas around Midland as well as areas just west of Dallas, including Fort Worth.
The majority of these areas were under winter storm warnings today for a mix of freezing rain and sleet. The change to ice storm warnings is because the precipitation is expected to be almost exclusively freezing rain Wednesday and Wednesday night.
This round of precipitation is also expected to be the heaviest of the week. Locations across central Texas have received around half an inch to an inch of sleet and up to a quarter of an inch of freezing rain since Monday.
Areas under ice storm warnings are expected to receive up to, or even over half an inch of freezing rain in the next 36 hours. Half an inch of ice was reported on trees and power lines, which is enough to cause significant damage and power outages.
“Prepare for tree limb breakage and localized power outages in this region, in addition to hazardous or impossible travel conditions,” that National Weather Service in Dallas warned.
Much of central and eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee and northwestern Mississippi continue to be under ice storm warnings as well. In total, nearly 8 million people are included in ice storm warnings.
Overall, more than 30 million people are under some sort of winter weather alert from New Mexico to Virginia.13 hr 51 min ago
School districts in western Tennessee and northwestern Mississippi announce closures for Wednesday
From CNN’s Joe Sutton and Jessica Jordan
A number of school districts across western Tennessee and northwestern Mississippi have announced schools will be closed on Wednesday as the area remains under an ice storm warning.
Here are the districts that have made closure announcements:
- Memphis Shelby County Schools (Tennessee)
- Dyer County Schools ( Tennessee)
- Lauderdale County Schools (Tennessee)
- McNairy County Schools (Tennessee)
- DeSoto County Schools (Mississippi)
- Tate County School District (Mississippi)
- Tunica County School District (Mississippi)
14 hr 18 min ago
More than 1,000 flights have already been canceled for Wednesday
From CNN’s Joe Sutton
The ongoing ice storm and winter weather that’s impacting at least eight states from Texas to West Virginia will continue to impact travelers at US airports Wednesday.
As of Tuesday evening, FlightAware reports 1,042 flights have been canceled for Wednesday.
Southwest Airlines is experiencing the most cancellations as of now, according to FlightAware.
The airports that are experiencing the bulk of the cancellations are in Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth International, Dallas Love Field, and Austin-Bergstrom International.
According to FlightAware, approximately 1,947 flights were canceled within, into or out of the US as of Tuesday night.15 hr 42 min ago
Texas is the only state reporting power outages so far
Texas is the only state reporting outages at this time, as more than 40 million people in the central and southern US experience winter weather.
According to PowerOutage.US, the state has 35,988 customers with no power.16 hr 1 min ago
Austin water company says it’s operating normally and is prepared for winter weather
From CNN’s Joe Sutton
Austin Water is prepared for the ongoing winter weather threat in Texas, an official told CNN Tuesday, saying that systems are operating normally. Austin is currently under a winter storm warning, according to the National Weather Service.
“Austin Water is operating normally and has taken numerous steps to prepare for the winter weather event this week,” spokesperson Emlea Chanslor said, adding the agency has completed all of its checks to increase “readiness for freezing temperatures and treacherous road conditions this week.”
These measures have been “developed based on lessons learned from recent emergency events,” she said. Austin Water serves more than 1 million customers in the area, according to its website.
Austin and its water department faced challenges during the deadly winter storm in February 2021 with boil-water notices, broken pipes, and failing systems, CNN previously reported.
At one point during the storm in 2021, the city’s water supply lost 325 million gallons due to burst pipes, according to previous reporting.
These are some of the steps the company has taken to increase preparedness, according to Chanslor:
- Winterization procedures have been completed at facilities.
- Increased staff availability levels at facilities and contractors on standby to assist, if needed
- In anticipation of treacherous road conditions, Austin Water has made arrangements to accommodate staff who may have to stay at facilities overnight.
14 hr 39 min ago
