| USA TODAY
The polar vortex, explained
Temperatures in the Midwest are nearing record lows, while a powerful pulse surge is driving a deep freeze over the eastern half of the United States. The bitter cold will bring a quarter of the continental US below zero temperature.
USA TODAY
NEW YORK – A region of central Texas by New York City was in a winter weather consultation on Thursday because an ice storm brought icy rain, dangerous conditions and power outages.
In Fort Worth, where the roads were slippery and icy, a congestion of at least 50 vehicles on Thursday morning led to multiple injuries, Mike Drivdahl, a public information officer for the Fort Worth Fire Department, USA TODAY said.
Millions propelled along a 1,500-mile trail as the storm moved overnight and moved to parts of Arkansas and Kentucky on Thursday morning. The national weather service can lead to half an inch of ice accumulation in some areas.
A mixture of rain and sleet is predicted to come to an end today, but not before it leaves a long amount of harmful ice accumulations, ‘the weather service said.
According to the weather service, the Ozarks can see a quarter of an inch of ice to the I-64 corridor in eastern Kentucky.
“This amount of ice is likely to lead to dangerous travel conditions, power outages and scattered tree damage,” the weather service said in a forecast.
During the Fort Worth crash, Drivdahl said first responders had to rescue several people from their vehicles with hydraulic tools. Injuries ranged from minor to critical, and some were transported to hospitals in the area. Drivdahl said there was no immediate confirmation of deaths. The incident took place around a toll lane separated by a concrete barrier that created a ‘funnel effect’.
“I’m sure it’s going to come down to some kind of chain reaction,” Drivdahl said. Sand and ice melt were needed to make the roads safe for first responders trying to gain access to the scene of the crash, he added.
Polar vortex brings icy temperatures, snow and ice to the US
North Pole air brings very cold temperatures and the threat of snow and ice in the Ohio Valley and in the Mid-Atlantic until late this week.
Accuweather
More than 70,000 customers in Kentucky and 42,000 in West Virginia were without power on Thursday morning, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us.
Until Friday, the storm is forecast to bring light snow to the Ohio Valley and Central Appalachians to the Mid-Atlantic, which according to the weather service can see 2 to 6 inches.
Rain on Friday is also possible for the Central Appalachians and in parts of Virginia and North Carolina, the weather service said.
“Accidents and icy conditions could potentially shut down sections of highways for a long period of time,” said Paul Walker, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.
In Kentucky, the severe weather led to the closure of schools, COVID-19 vaccination sites and government offices. The Louisville MetroSafe reported 10 accidents Thursday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a wreck on I-64 that resulted in injuries. On Wednesday, 70 accidents occurred from 13:00 to 22:00, including 17 with injuries.
Memphis woke up Thursday morning from a city with fresh ice blankets on the roads and drooping limbs heavy with a sheath of frozen precipitate. Wednesday night to Thursday morning there was also a rare occurrence of ‘thunder’, or a thunderstorm with freezing rain or ice.
Amid light snow Wednesday night, a plane carrying nearly 80 passengers slipped off the runway at Pittsburgh International Airport, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. There were no injuries.
A light dusting of snow that also fell cars and sidewalks in New York City overnight Thursday morning.
The weather service said stormy winds could cause further damage Thursday to Friday, and bitterly cold temperatures are expected over the weekend.
In Dallas, the cold air blast Sunday could even lead to the first avalanche of the season in Texas, AccuWeather said.
“Every time you bring an Arctic air mass into Texas, you always have to worry about snow and ice, because at some point, warmer air will try to return. And if warmer air collides with that colder air, you get clouds and precipitation. , ”Said AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
Meanwhile, the Northwest would also see an influential winter weather in the Pacific until Saturday, the weather service said.
A low-pressure system is predicted to enter southern Oregon tonight
at the same time interacting with very cold air flowing down in the region. This combination can lead to not only heavy snow over the typical mountainous places, but also in the lowlands, “reads the forecast.
Seattle and Portland could also see some snow: AccuWeather predicts 1 to 3 inches in both cities.
Contributions: Billy Kobin, Louisville Courier Journal; Micaela A. Watts, Memphis Commercial Appeal