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The polar vortex, explained
Temperatures in the Midwest are approaching all-time lows as a powerful polar vortex causes a deep freeze in the eastern half of the United States. The biting cold will bring sub-zero temperatures to a quarter of the continental United States.
USA TODAY
NEW YORK – A strip of land from central Texas to New York was the subject of a winter weather advisory Thursday as an ice storm brought freezing rain, dangerous conditions and power outages.
In Fort Worth, where the roads were slippery and icy, a stack of at least 50 vehicles resulted in multiple injuries on I-35 Thursday morning, said Mike Drivdahl, a fire department public information officer. from Fort Worth to USA TODAY.
Millions of people braced on a 1,500-mile path as the storm moved through parts of Arkansas and Kentucky overnight and Thursday morning. This could result in up to a half inch of ice buildup in some areas, the National Weather Service said.
“A mixture of sleet and freezing rain is expected to gradually end today, but not before leaving a long strip of damaging ice build-up,” the weather service said.
The Ozarks on I-64 corridor in eastern Kentucky could see a quarter of an inch of ice, according to the weather service.
“This amount of ice will likely lead to dangerous travel conditions, power outages and damage to scattered trees,” the weather service said in a statement.
During the Fort Worth crash, Drivdahl said first responders had to rescue several people from their vehicles using hydraulic tools. The injuries ranged from mild to severe and some were taken to area hospitals. Drivdahl said there was no immediate confirmation of the deaths. The incident happened around a toll lane separated by a concrete barrier which created a “funnel-like effect,” he said.
“I’m sure it’s going to come down to some kind of chain reaction event,” Drivdahl said. Sand and melting ice were needed to make the roads safe for first responders trying to access the crash scene, he added.
Polar vortex brings freezing temperatures, snow and ice to United States
The arctic air is bringing very cold temperatures and a threat to snow and ice in the Ohio Valley and the central Atlantic until the end of this week.
Accuweather
More than 70,000 customers in Kentucky and 42,000 in West Virginia were without power as of Thursday morning, according to the PowerOutage.us tracking website.
Through Friday, the storm is expected to bring light snow through the Ohio Valley and the central Appalachians to the mid-Atlantic, which could see 2 to 6 inches, according to the weather service.
More freezing rain on Friday is also possible for the central Appalachians and parts of Virginia and northern North Carolina, the weather service said.
“Accidents and freezing conditions could potentially shut off portions of highways for an extended period,” said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Walker.
In Kentucky, inclement weather has resulted in the closure of schools, COVID-19 vaccination sites and state offices. Louisville’s MetroSafe reported 10 crashes from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. Thursday, with a wreckage on I-64 that resulted in injuries. On Wednesday, 70 accidents took place from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., including 17 injured.
Memphis woke up in a city Thursday morning to a fresh layer of slush on the roads and sagging tree branches laden with a sheath of frozen precipitation. From Wednesday evening to Thursday morning, there was also a rare occurrence of “thunder ice”, or a thunderstorm with freezing rain or ice.
On Wednesday evening, in light snow, a plane with nearly 80 passengers slipped off the runway at Pittsburgh International Airport, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. There are no casualties.
A light blanket of snow that fell overnight also blanketed cars and sidewalks in New York City on Thursday morning.
The weather service said gusts of wind could cause further damage Thursday through Friday, and extremely cold temperatures were expected for the weekend.
In Dallas, that blast of cold air could even lead to the first snowfall of the season in the city of Texas on Sunday, AccuWeather said.
“Anytime you get a mass of arctic air in Texas you always have to worry about snow and ice because at some point warmer air will try to come back. And, when warmer air collides with that colder air, you get cloud and precipitation, ”said AccuWeather chief meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest is also expected to experience “hard-hitting winter conditions” through Saturday, the weather service said.
“A low pressure system is expected to enter southern Oregon tonight as
interacting simultaneously with very cold air flowing through the region. This combination can lead not only to heavy snowfall in typical mountainous areas, but also in lowlands, ”according to forecasts.
Seattle and Portland could see snow as well: AccuWeather forecast between 1 and 3 inches in both cities.
Contributing: Billy Kobin, Louisville Courier Journal; Micaela A. Watts, Memphis Trade Call
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