Brutal ice storm could leave hundreds of thousands in the dark, cold
A long-lasting ice storm that will impact a 1,200-mile-long stretch of the United States into Thursday night began across some central and southern portions of the country Tuesday night and early Wednesday. A pair of storms will unleash ice accumulations, threatening extremely dangerous travel and, in the hardest-hit areas, the potential for lengthy power outages and loss of heat.
The storm duo is also forecast to produce a swath of snow ranging from a coating to a foot or more in portions of the Interstate 70 and 80 corridors in the Midwest and along part of I-68 in the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic region. However, it is the icy portion of the storm farther south that may be the most dangerous, disruptive and even destructive part of the winter storm pair from Texas to West Virginia and Virginia.
Bill Wadell was reporting for the AccuWeather Network from Lexington, Kentucky, Wednesday morning as the ice storm got underway. Ice was already covering cars and causing slick spots on roads in the area, he said.
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Ice storm warnings (pink) extended from Arkansas through Kentucky as of Thursday morning, Feb. 11, 2021. Winter storm warnings (dark blue) extended to the north and east of the ice storm area. (NWS warnings/AccuWeather) |
The storm will continue to glaze streets and sidewalks with hazardous travel conditions resulting throughout this zone. Even a thin glaze of ice a mere few hundredths of an inch thick can create slippery conditions on paved and concrete surfaces. AccuWeather meteorologists warn that roads and sidewalks may appear to be wet, when they are, in fact, icy.
"Accidents and icy conditions could potentially shut down portions of highways for an extended period," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Walker stated earlier this week.
The ice storm is centered along vast stretches of I-40 and I-64 in the Central states. And the most significant ice accumulations could lead to other dangers besides treacherous travel. In some cases, thunder and lightning can accompany the ice storm.
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"Locations from northern Arkansas and southern Missouri to central and southern West Virginia have the potential to pick up between 0.25 and 0.50 of an inch of ice that adheres to elevated surfaces," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
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Any time ice accrues to a thickness of 0.25 of an inch or greater, the risk of downed power lines increases significantly. Even though the buildup of ice may be gradual, it can last for 24 hours or more and slowly add weight to trees and power lines. Some trees may bend without breaking in this situation, but they can still cause outages where tree limbs sag over top of power lines.
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There is the potential for significant destruction in wooded or suburban locations with trees and power lines that may block streets and highways in some communities -- and in some of the hardest-hit areas, that could slow power line repairs for days.
Cities forecast to receive at least a few hours of ice buildup include Dallas, Jonesboro, Arkansas; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Paducah and Lexington, Kentucky; Huntington and Charleston, West Virginia; and Staunton, Virginia.
Some changes with temperatures at different layers of the atmosphere may prevent a major and widespread ice storm in Virginia, but even a couple of rounds of ice can lead to dangerous travel.
By Thursday night, the remains of the winter storm is forecast to consolidate over portions of the southern Appalachians and the lower part of the mid-Atlantic coast.
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From Thursday night to the start of Friday, a second center of the storm can enhance precipitation enough to bring overall storm total snowfall fo 6-12 inches with locally higher amounts in parts of the West Virginia and western Maryland mountains and a dangerous layer of ice across southern and eastern Virginia.
Even as the ice storm ends from west to east over Thursday and Friday, the ice buildup may be difficult to remove from the southern Appalachians to the southern Plains.
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Meanwhile, many Americans will be at risk for going without heat for days amid frigid conditions that will continue to expand across the U.S.
Unlike some ice storms in parts of the southern Plains and the middle Mississippi and Ohio valleys, temperatures will trend downward rather than upward in the wake of the storm. The ice may strongly adhere to surfaces, especially where the warming rays of the sun do not reach.
Temperatures are forecast to dip into the 20s, teens and even the single digits F late this week and this weekend in the ice storm's aftermath from the southern Plains to the Ohio Valley.
In fact, temperatures are likely to be low enough to challenge records in many locations, especially Sunday night and Monday night. Not only will records be challenged but, in some cases, records could be shattered.
For example, the record in Lubbock, Texas Sunday night is 8 degrees F from 1951. The current forecast low is 4 degrees below zero, which would break the record by 12 degrees. The following night, the record low is 13 degrees set in 1979, with a current forecast of zero.
Even in cities where records may not be broken by as much, records that have stood for more than 100 years will be in jeopardy.
In Wichita, Kansas, Sunday night's record of 5 below zero was set in 1936, with a current forecast of 7 below zero. However, Monday night, the record of 6 below zero was set way back in 1903. The forecast of 11 degrees below zero would easily break that long-standing record.
These record-breaking temperatures will mean that ice and snow will remain on the ground for several days after the storm ends, although that may not be the end of wintry precipitation threats.
The overall weather pattern remains loaded with winter storms in the coming weeks. "What an unbelievable pattern," AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said, when referring to all of the system that forecasters will be kept busy tracking.
AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the potential for additional storms within the next 10 days that could bring more rounds of ice and snow from the southern Plains to the Northeastern as the winter storm train ramps up in the Northwest.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
