The dairy aisle at a Publix supermarket in Tuscaloosa looked bare as people throughout the southern U.S. stock up on water, food, and generators as they prepare for the storm. Forecasters say over half the U.S. population could be affected by snow, ice or bitter cold as a winter storm sweeps across the county. Schools in Chicago and other cities canceled classes on Friday due to extreme cold.
The website Flightaware says fifteen flights out of Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport have been cancelled. More than 1,000 flights were delayed or canceled nationally on Friday, with more expected Saturday. Then the storm is forecast to bring snow, sleet, and ice from Texas to New England. Forecasters warn the
damage could rival a hurricane, especially in areas hit by ice.
Freezing rain fell in parts of Texas on Friday as a huge, dayslong winter storm began a trek that threatened to bring snow, sleet, ice, bone-chilling temperatures and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Forecasters warned that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.
Schools in Chicago and other Midwestern cities called off classes, airlines canceled thousands of weekend flights, churches moved Sunday services online and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Carnival parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.
At least 182 million people were under watches or warnings for ice and snow, and more than 210 million were under cold weather advisories or warnings. In many places those overlapped. Utility companies braced for power outages because ice-coated trees and power lines can keep falling long after a storm has passed.
“It’s going to be a big storm,” Maricela Resendiz said as she picked up chicken, eggs and pizzas at a Dallas store to get her, her 5-year-old son and her boyfriend through the weekend. Her plans: “Staying in, just being out of the way.”
Freezing rain slickened roads in Lubbock, Texas, in the afternoon as temperatures dropped.
After sliding into the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about a foot (30 centimeters) of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the National Weather Service predicted. Frigid air that spilled down from Canada prompted the cancellations of classes at schools throughout the Midwest. Wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit meant that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes, making it too dangerous to walk to school or wait for the bus.
In Bismarck, North Dakota, where the wind chill was minus 41 (minus 41 Celsius), Colin Cross cleaned out an empty unit for the apartment complex where he works.
“I’ve been here awhile and my brain stopped working,” said Cross, bundled up in long johns, two long-sleeve shirts, a jacket, hat, hood, gloves and boots.
