DALLAS, Texas — Another blast of winter storms on Thursday closed schools, snarled flights and put millions of residents on alert across parts of the U.S. South as snow and freezing rain caused dangerous travel conditions.
The storm started dumping a mix of sleet and heavy snow Thursday morning in north Texas and Oklahoma, where schools canceled classes for more than 1 million students. Closures also kept students home in Kansas City and Arkansas, while in Virginia, frustrations mounted in the state capital over a boil-water advisory caused by an earlier round of winter storms.
Hundreds of flights were canceled by Thursday morning in Dallas, according to tracking platform FlightAware, with more than 2,100 delays and 1,500 cancellations reported nationally.
The cold snap coincided with rare January wildfires tearing through the Los Angeles area, forcing residents to flee from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke.
Snow, sleet hammering Texas, Oklahoma
Road crews began treating roads in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas ahead of the expected arrival of as much as 7 inches (about 18 centimeters) of snow in some parts of those states. The precipitation early Thursday was mostly wet snow in the Dallas metroplex, with heavier snowfall farther north into Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service.
“The roads are slushy, but there’s also slick spots,” said Charles Daniel, a truck driver hauling a 48-foot trailer in south-central Oklahoma on Thursday. “I have not seen any accidents, but I have seen a couple of people get stuck out on the road and sliding around.
Gov. Greg Abbott said the state deployed emergency crews in advance and urged residents to avoid driving in bad weather if possible. In Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Sanders mobilized 140 National Guardsmen to assist State Police with transporting any stranded motorists.
Roads could be slick Friday as 75,000 fans were expected head to AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the college football championship semifinal between Texas and Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Arlington spokesperson Susan Shrock said crews will be ready to address any hazardous road conditions.
Southern discomfort
A mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain was expected along a stretch from New Mexico to Alabama. Forecasters said the heaviest amounts were likely in parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.
The system was expected to push northeastward by Friday with heavy snow and freezing rain all the way to the Virginia and North Carolina coasts. As much as 8 inches (about 20 centimeters) of snow could fall in parts of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia through Saturday, the weather service said.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency across the state on Thursday as the northern half of the state girded for snow and ice beginning Friday morning. Kemp’s move came as increasing numbers of schools and universities, including the University of Georgia in Athens, called off in-person classes for Friday.
National Weather Service forecasters are warning that snow and ice are likely to accumulate across metro Atlanta, making roadways treacherous and possibly threatening power outages. Up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow and up to a quarter inch (0.63 centimeters) of ice are expected in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick Sheehan said he expected schools across the state to close Friday, although decisions will be made at the local level.
The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole, but it sometimes ventures south into the U.S., Europe and Asia. Some experts say such events are happening more frequently, paradoxically, because of a warming world.
