Snow, ice forecast for Texas and the South: Here's what to expect
With the Midwest and mid-Alantic still digging out from a major winter storm, another one is forecast to sweep across the South and eastern United States this week, bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain from Texas through the Carolinas.
Winter storm watches have been issued in parts of northern Texas, southeast Oklahoma, Arkansas and northern Louisiana — including cities that aren’t accustomed to seeing much snow.
"In places that don't get snow or ice very often, such as Austin, Dallas, Little Rock and Nashville, it will be a big deal," AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines told USA Today.
What’s the timing predicted for this storm?
According to the latest forecast of the National Weather Service, the system will produce light snow over West Texas on Wednesday before moving into northern Texas on Thursday as a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain.
It will then head east, bringing snow and ice to Kentucky, Tennessee, northern Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and possibly the Carolinas on Thursday and Friday.
Its arrival comes days after a major winter storm tore across the middle of the country, dumping heavy snow from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic, causing thousands of flight cancellations and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
How much snow is forecast?
According to the Dallas-Fort Worth office of the weather service, 3 to 6 inches of accumulation is possible in northern Texas north of I-20, southeast Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Light to moderate snow totaling a few inches is possible for areas further east, depending on the storm’s track, with accumulating sleet or freezing rain on its southern edge.
Ice accumulations of around one-tenth of an inch are possible, the weather service said.
What impacts are expected on travel?
In addition to possible flight delays and cancellations for airports in the affected areas, dangerous driving conditions are likely, especially during the Thursday morning and evening commutes.
“Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous,” the weather service warned. “Travel could be very difficult to impossible.”
What about Texas’s energy grid?
Previous winter storms have affected Texas's energy grid, causing widespread power outages as bitter temperatures prompted higher electricity demand.
The state's grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), issued a weather watch earlier this week, noting that it is "monitoring conditions closely" but that “grid conditions are expected to be normal.”
