US Deadly Icy Storm Traps Millions
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – More than 50 million Americans were under winter weather warning Tuesday afternoon as a deadly cold front expanded, killing at least two people.
The ice storm wreaked havoc on the roads and threatened parts of the south and central US with ice and sleet for at least another day.
“Prolonged and significant ice storm to continue impacting a large area from the southern Plains to the Tennessee Valley,” the National Weather Service said.
It added that “additional rounds of wintry precipitation, with brief lulls followed by bursts of sleet and freezing rain … could drastically deteriorate road conditions.”
That was true in much of Texas, where one person died Tuesday morning in a 10-car pileup in south Austin, the city’s fire department said. In the Dallas-area city of Arlington, a second person was killed when their vehicle rolled over, police added.
Separately a Texas state trooper was hospitalized after being hit by a driver who lost control of the vehicle. And a sheriff’s deputy was in surgery after stopping to help the driver of an 18-wheeler that went off an icy highway and got struck by a second truck.
The icy weather disrupted daily life for many across parts of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, with freezing rain making roads slick, sending cars sliding, and prompting officials to urge residents to stay home.
School districts shut down classes in parts of Mississippi and Tennessee, and at least one healthcare system in Texas reportedly closed down its clinics amid the dangerous conditions.
Freezing rain, sleet, and accumulating ice over the coming day were likely to not only make the roads more dangerous. They also caused tree damage and power outages across the Mid-South, the National Weather Service warned.
The United States has been plagued by several extreme weather conditions this winter season, impacting millions and killing several people.
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