Schools cancel classes across the Southern US as another burst of winter storms move in
DALLAS– Schools and buildings from Texas to Georgia were closed or prepared to close on Thursday ahead of freezing rain and snow expected across much of the southern U.S. following a new outbreak of snowstorms. falling temperatures and winter storms threatened to hamper travel again.
Texas schools have canceled classes for more than 1 million students ahead of icy and potentially dangerous conditions that could last into Friday. Closures also kept students at home in Kansas City and Arkansas’ capital, Little Rock, while Virginia’s capital, Richmond, remained under a weather-related boil advisory.
The cold wave coincided rare forest fires in January rips through the Los Angeles area, forcing residents to flee burning homes through flames, high winds and towering clouds of smoke.
In the Dallas area, crews treated roads ahead of 2 to 4 inches (about 5 to 10 centimeters) of snow on Thursday. Up to 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) were expected further north near Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service.
Governor Greg Abbott said the state had deployed emergency services in advance and urged residents to avoid driving in bad weather if possible.
Boston native Gina Eaton, who had been stocking up on groceries in Dallas ahead of the storm, said she has some trepidation about sharing roads with drivers unaccustomed to ice and snow.
“Even when there’s ice, I can drive it very comfortably,” Eaton said. “It’s just other people that scare me.”
Roads could be slick on Friday as 75,000 fans were expected to attend AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the college football championship semifinal between The state of Texas and Ohio in the Cotton Bowl. Arlington spokesperson Susan Shrock said crews will be ready to address any hazardous road conditions.
A mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain was expected along a stretch from New Mexico to Alabama. Forecasters say the heaviest amounts will likely occur in parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.
The system was expected to move northeast with heavy snow and freezing rain on Friday, all the way to the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina. As much as 8 inches (about 20 centimeters) of snow could fall into parts from Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia through Saturday, the weather service said.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced the closure of some state offices on Friday. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said city offices would be closed and employees would work remotely.
Patrick Sheehan, director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, said he expected schools across the state to close Friday, although decisions will be made at the local level.
The polar vortex of ultracold air usually orbits the North Pole, but sometimes ventures south into the US, Europe and Asia. Some experts say that such events paradoxically become more common because: warming world.
Some parts of Kansas have averaged almost a full year’s worth of snow in recent days. affects farmers and ranchers “in ways that we haven’t seen in this area for a long, long time, possibly a lifetime,” said Chip Redmond, a meteorologist at Kansas State University.
Calves are especially at risk and can die when temperatures drop below zero. And so much snow in rural areas can prevent farmers from reaching herds with food and water
In North Florida, growers were most concerned about ferns grown for floral arrangements, with Valentine’s Day just a month away.
Richmond will remain under a boil water advisory until at least Friday as officials work to restore the water reservoir system, which malfunctioned after a storm caused a power outage, Mayor Danny Avula said.
The city of more than 200,000 residents distributed bottled water at 11 locations and delivered it to elderly residents and others unable to reach those locations, officials said.
“We have families in town, they don’t have water,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday. “We have young children where mothers ask, ‘What should I do with baby food?'”
Thousands of flights in the US have been delayed or canceled this week due to the winter storms. Hundreds of car crashes were also reported this week in Virginia, where three people died, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky.
Since last weekend, other weather-related fatalities have occurred in West Virginia, North Carolina and Kansas.
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Murphy reported from Oklahoma City. Associated Press reporters Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City; Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta; Nadia Lathan in Austin, Texas; Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, AL; Chris O’Meara in Tampa, Florida; John Raby in Cross Lanes, West Virginia; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; and Julie Walker in New York contributed.
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Read more about the AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment