Texas.- An expanding winter storm will continue to blanket parts of the southern and southeastern Plains with ice and sleet through Thursday morning, bringing frigid temperatures and creating travel disruptions for millions, forecasters said.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 21 million people from southeastern New Mexico and much of Texas to West Virginia were under a winter weather advisory, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm, which began on Monday, had already begun to wreak havoc on air travel. Nearly 1,000 flights within, to or from the United States were canceled Tuesday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking company. Most of the cancellations were reported in Texas, including more than 400 flights at the Dallas and Austin airports.
Several rounds of mixed precipitation, mostly freezing rain and sleet, were forecast for midweek. Ice accumulations of more than a quarter of an inch were expected from western Texas to western Tennessee, with isolated amounts of two centimeters.
“This amount of ice is likely to result in tree damage and scattered power outages in the hardest-hit regions,” forecasters said in an advisory. “Sleet accumulations of around 1.5 inches or higher are also possible from West Texas to Arkansas, which can also lead to treacherous travel.”
The Dallas Independent School District, which has more than 150,000 students, canceled classes Tuesday and the city’s mayor, Eric Johnson, urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
“Tip 1: Don’t drive on icy roads,” he said on Twitter. “Not worth it.”
The Austin Independent School District also canceled classes Tuesday and the city said it would provide shelters for those in need.
