A record-setting cold outbreak occurred this past week in the West with temperatures falling to more than 20 below zero in parts of Montana and Colorado. Temperatures were forecast to fall into the 30s in Burbank, CA Saturday and Sunday night with lows near 40 in San Francisco. Burbank tonight will see a chilly rain with lows in the low 40s. Dallas was hit hard with 200,000 without electricity and major traffic problems. While the worst of the storm was experienced from Dallas to Memphis, the icy weather is forecast to reach Washington, DC and the NYC metro area Sunday evening and early Monday. A changeover to rain will occur on Monday.
Reported by CNN:
A winter storm spread a frigid combination of ice, sleet and snow from Texas to Tennessee on Friday, shutting down schools and businesses, backing up interstate traffic for miles and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands. At least four people were killed in storm-related incidents, including a man who died when an ice-covered tree fell on his camper in Arkansas. Dallas/Fort Worth took the hardest hit. It was colder in the Big D (26 degrees) than in Anchorage, Alaska (34 degrees), prompting the cancellation of the Dallas Marathon and spurring Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to cancel almost 700 flights, about 80% of those scheduled.
About 200,000 customers lost electricity, and a local official urged people to offer shelter to those without power. Southbound Interstate 35 was shut down and traffic backed up for six miles, CNN affiliate WFAA in Dallas reported. The temperature swings were startling. Hot Springs, Arkansas, experienced a record high of 75 on Wednesday. By Friday morning, the city was in the middle of an ice storm. The storm caught a lot of Texans by surprise. Debra Knight, a CNN iReporter, said she ran her defroster 20 minutes but couldn't get rid of the thick layer of ice on top of her car in Dallas. "This is Texas. We don't have snow tools!" said her husband Bobby.
The storm moved east Friday night, the National Weather Service reported, with snow expected to accumulate across the central Appalachians through central New England on Friday night and early Saturday morning. Memphis braced for the storm and called off the annual St. Jude Memphis Marathon. The storm was expected to hit Washington, D.C., on Sunday. No snow had fallen in New Mexico, but drivers dealt with snow and ice. One person died in a semi crash near Clines Corners. About 116 storm-related injuries have been reported in Oklahoma, including 48 falls, the state health department said. When not causing harm, the storm struck fear in residents.
In Dallas, iReporter Earl Wallace IV said he when he heard a loud crack and a rush of wind and ran out to find a large tree had fallen on two nearby homes. "One of the homeowners emerged crying and talking on the phone," said the 32-year-old creative director. "The tree had crashed down into her dining room. I felt nervous, shocked and scared for the families inside." Two homes were damaged -- one with a giant hole in the roof -- but no one was injured. WFAA in Dallas reported that a portion of the Pier 121 Marina in Lewisville collapsed on top of boats. Two people were taken to hospitals when a carport collapsed in Fort Worth.
In Tennessee, Memphis Light, Gas and Water has 426,000 customers and is preparing for the worst. As of early Friday afternoon, about 5,000 customers were without power. "MLGW employees have been monitoring this winter storm situation, and we have all of our resources in place should the winter weather hit Memphis and Shelby County," said Jerry Collins Jr., the company's president and CEO. "If indeed a significant storm blankets our city, we are ready to respond." Road crews in Memphis are ready to throw down 4,000 tons of sand to give drivers traction, CNN affiliate WMC reported.
The governors of Tennessee and Arkansas declared states of emergency ahead of the worst of the storm. "The most unsettling aspect about Arkansas' weather for most of us is its looming uncertainty," Gov. Mike Beebe said. "During severe weather season, we know when conditions are ripe for tornadoes but never exactly where and when they could strike. In winter, that uncertainty takes a different form but can still create widespread anxiety," he said.
"Often, only a few degrees above or below the freezing mark can make the difference between a cold rain, a blanket of snow, an ice storm or a mixture of all of the above." In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, roads were passable overnight, but it was a fine line as temperatures slipped below freezing. The slushy mess slowly turned into crunchy, bumpy ice. Police urged caution for anyone on the road and reported 21 major car accidents and 32 minor ones Friday.
The National Weather Service predicts a wintry mix of precipitation through Sunday. That forecast prompted the cancellation of a downtown Dallas holiday parade scheduled for Saturday for the first time in 26 years. The city also called off its annual marathon slated for Sunday and the accompanying Health & Fitness Expo scheduled for Friday and Saturday. While the focus Friday was on the ice storm stretching from Dallas to Memphis, Mother Nature looked ready to throw another punch. A wintry mix was forecast for Washington beginning about noon Sunday. The National Weather Service said it has the potential to be an ice storm from late Sunday afternoon through the evening hours, but temperatures are expected to rise above freezing by rush hour Monday.
A new storm entered the West, bringing snow to the Pacific Coast on Friday. The storm brought significant snowfall to Portland, Oregon, and there is a chance for rare snow in Las Vegas on Saturday. This storm will bring another round of wintry weather to the East by late in the weekend.
George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. George is also a meteorologist with ABC News and Cablevision News 12. Our website is WrightWeather.com.
