Thu Jan 09 10:30:00 UTC 2025: **Winter Storm Slams Southern US, Following Devastating Cold Snap**
DALLAS (AP) — A major winter storm is bearing down on a large swathe of the southern United States, from Texas to Tennessee, bringing a mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow. This follows a brutal cold snap that has already impacted much of the country, causing widespread disruption and, in some areas, fatalities.
Little Rock, Arkansas, closed schools Thursday and Friday in anticipation of heavy snowfall. Other areas are still recovering; Kansas City schools remained closed for a third consecutive day, and Richmond, Virginia, is under a boil-water advisory until at least Friday due to a water system malfunction caused by the earlier storm. The cold snap also coincided with rare January wildfires in Los Angeles, forcing evacuations.
The National Weather Service predicts the heaviest snow and ice accumulation in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas, with hazardous driving conditions expected. The storm is expected to move northeastward by Friday, impacting areas from southeastern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas to the Virginia and North Carolina coasts.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has deployed emergency agencies and opened hundreds of warming centers. While expressing confidence in the state’s power grid, he cautioned that any outages would likely be due to downed power lines, not a grid failure. Concerns remain for the Cotton Bowl game in Arlington, Texas, on Friday, with officials preparing for potential road hazards.
The storm’s impact has been severe in some areas. Parts of Kansas received nearly a year’s worth of snow in a few days, threatening livestock. In northern Florida, fern growers are worried about the impact on Valentine’s Day sales.
The extreme weather has resulted in widespread power outages (over 50,000 customers affected across several states), thousands of flight delays and cancellations, hundreds of car accidents, and at least seven weather-related deaths across several states. Birmingham, Alabama, is investigating three potential hypothermia deaths. The disruptions highlight the significant and potentially deadly consequences of these extreme weather events.
First Piper 