Ice storm hits the South and central US

More than 12 million people are under ice storm warnings, according to the National Weather Service as of Wednesday night. About 7 million people are under winter storm warnings.

The NWS is predicting the ice storm hitting much of the south, especially parts of Texas, will pass through by Thursday. The winter weather warnings are mostly in Texas, Arkansas, parts of Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Here’s a look at the map:

In Texas, hundreds of thousands of people are still without power across the state. With temperatures forecast to be below freezing, here are some things you can do to stay warm if your power is out.

First, if you are using a generator, make sure it is at least 20 feet outside and away from your home, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Austin, Texas, Emergency Management also recommends:

The cold, icy weather could stick around parts of the South overnight, before finally starting to clear up many places Thursday morning, according to the latest forecast from CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray.

Nearly 340,000 people are without power in Texas, according to PowerOutage.Us, as the storm works its way through the state. Temperatures will not get back above freezing until later Thursday or Friday for some people, Gray said.

Reports of sleet and ice have been coming in across the South and mid-South, Gray said, with Dallas, Texas, recording at least half an inch of ice already.

Watch the latest forecast:

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01:22 - Source: cnn

Freezing rain is falling across northern Texas and the National Weather Service (NWS) expects problems on roadways to increase after dark.

“Widespread freezing rain continues this afternoon across much of North Texas,” the Dallas NWS said.

The NWS credits sunlight for melting some of the ice this afternoon despite temperatures remaining below freezing. 

“Incoming solar radiation … is working on some of the ice pack on area roads and we are seeing melting despite air temperatures in the upper 20s,” they said. “While this may lead to a false sense of relief, there is still a substantial threat for considerable icing, especially as we head into the evening hours.”

Power outages in Texas as a result of this week’s severe winter weather are now topping 300,000 customers.

The tracking website PowerOutage.us showed 347,598 electric customers without power as of 4:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, mostly in areas just south and east of Dallas.

The National Weather Service in Dallas warned that road conditions Wednesday night are not expected to improve as temperatures remain below freezing.

More than 2,000 flights have been canceled across the US so far today, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.

The winter storm is wreaking havoc in the skies, with most cancellations and delays in Texas at Dallas-Fort Worth International, Dallas Love Field and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

American Airlines and Southwest are the top affected carriers.

The National Weather Service stations in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, report that freezing rain has begun around the two metro areas.

This is the third round of the ice storm, according to both services.

“We expect this to continue and expand across much of the southern 2/3 of the state through tomorrow morning,” according to NWS Little Rock.

NWS Memphis advised drivers to avoid traveling if possible due to the messy conditions.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced earlier this week that he is directing the state’s severe cold weather protocol to go into effect beginning at 12 p.m. ET Thursday until Sunday as the state prepares for extremely cold air and strong winds later this week. 

“Don’t be fooled by this mild weather that we are experiencing right now, because it looks like a blast of arctic air and winds will impact Connecticut later this week and this weekend,” the governor said in a news release on Monday.

“With the kind of severe cold weather that is headed our way, frostbite can develop on exposed skin in under 30 minutes. Spending long periods of time outdoors in these conditions is not only harmful, it can be fatal. Shelters and warming centers are available across Connecticut. Anyone in need of a safe place to stay warm is urged to call 2-1-1 to get connected to a nearby location, and transportation can be provided if needed.”

The severe cold weather protocol, the governor said, is activated “to ensure that the most vulnerable populations receive protection from the severe cold conditions, which could be life-threatening if exposed to the elements for extended periods of time.”

The northern portion of the state including the city of Hartford, is under a wind chill watch, according to the National Weather Service New York Office (NWS). 

A group of Jeep owners has set out to rescue trapped drivers in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area as an ice storm continues to sweep through. 

“Carnales Off Road” is a group based out of Dallas whose members gather to share their love of Jeeps and raise money for good causes, founder Jorge Coronilla Muñiz told CNN. 

“It’s not the first time we’ve done this during bad weather. We try to help as often as possible,” Muñiz said. 

On Tuesday, several semi-trucks got stuck on I-20 and had to be rescued by the group who showed up with about 30 Jeeps to help tow the trucks.

“Before we got to I-20, we also helped a few other cars who were stuck on the streets,” Muniz said. “We eventually came across the standstill on Interstate 20 and helped an additional 20 trucks.”

Muñiz said he and other group members began helping stranded motorists early Tuesday morning and didn’t stop till 10 p.m. local time.

“Everyone was very grateful for our help, especially the truck drivers. Some even asked if they we were going to charge them for the help, but we told them we were just there to help,” he added.

The group is back out on the roads Wednesday and will also assist medical professionals who have reached out asking for help with getting to and from work, Muñiz said. 

The group plans to pick up some nurses from their evening shift at Parkland Health and escort them home, according to Muñiz.

The group has been around for a year and a half and organizes back-to-school giveaways, toy drives and cancer fundraisers, he added.

A 49-year-old woman was killed this week when she lost control of her truck on an icy road in rural Texas, police said.

Sherry Lynn Taylor was driving her Chevrolet pickup truck on US 277 just north of Eldorado around 9:40 p.m. local time Monday night when she lost control of the vehicle, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Her truck went into a side skid and struck a tree.

Three weather-related deaths have been reported this week in Texas as three rounds of freezing rain and ice have wreaked havoc on travel.

On Tuesday, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services said one person was killed after a 10-car pileup in Austin. Police in Arlington also said Tuesday that one person was killed when their vehicle rolled over.

Freezing weather can lead to frozen pipes, and Austin Water has some tips for its customers experiencing icy conditions today during the storm.

The utility advises residents to:

If there are power outages for more than 24 hours, the utility warns residents to stop dripping any faucets and turn off their water at the meter.

Some customers in Austin, Texas, could be without power for the next 24 hours, the city energy company said Wednesday.

Austin Energy said the area has seen a quarter to a half inch of ice, much of it accumulating on power lines, utility poles and trees.

The agency said in a statement that it is working to restore power as quickly as possible, “but challenging conditions may slow down these efforts.” Crews are navigating icy road conditions and most equipment is frozen, Austin Energy said.

“Based on these changing conditions, it is not possible to provide estimated restoration times. It is possible some customers may be without power for 12 to 24 hours,” the statement said.

More than 148,000 customers are without power in Travis County, were Austin is located, as of Wednesday afternoon. There are more than 282,000 outages statewide, according to PowerOutage.US.

For those who are without power and heat, the City of Austin opened warming centers Wednesday. They will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time, according to the city.

Here’s where they are located:

The Detroit Pistons’ home game against the Washington Wizards Wednesday night has been postponed because of travel issues caused by severe weather, the NBA announced.

“Due to severe weather conditions in the Dallas area, the Pistons have been unable to fly back to Detroit after their game on Monday at American Airlines Center,” the league said in a statement.

The Pistons lost to the Dallas Mavericks 111-105 on Monday night.

A makeup date will be announced later, the NBA said.

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas, strongly advised residents to stay off the roads as freezing rain continues to fall in the area.

“They are going to virtually be impassable through today and tonight,” it said.

The weather service also said that ice is accumulating on trees and power lines, which could result in power outages.

CPS Energy, a utility company that serves San Antonio, Texas, said that accumulating ice has contributed to power outages and warned customers to avoid downed power lines.

Crews working in Bexar County captured video of a sparking power line, according to the company’s Facebook page.

Significant freezing rain and sleet have accumulated across much of the Southern Plains and the Mid-South due to a prolonged period of winter weather over the last few days. The Weather Prediction Center has compiled some of the more notable totals.

Sleet has piled up over an inch in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois over the last 48 hours. Widespread freezing rain amounts have totaled a tenth of an inch to a quarter inch in nine states, with a few locations seeing a half inch or more.

Here is the freezing rain ice amounts from Monday, Jan. 30, morning through Wednesday, Feb. 1, morning in some notable locations:

An 18-wheeler slid off Interstate 20 and crashed into the median in Van, Texas, according to the Van Police Department.

The accident occurred on the westbound lane of 1-20 near mile marker 520, police said. The city is located 75 miles east of Dallas.

No injuries were reported, but police warned drivers to slow down.

Locally heavy freezing rain is occurring over southern and central Texas, causing concerns for widespread impacts to infrastructure. Ice accumulations could be a tenth of an inch or more per hour, the Storm Prediction Center warns.

Driving in a snowstorm is difficult. Add wind gusts and poor visibility, and travel can become downright dangerous.

If you have to drive, here are a few tips for staying safe in winter weather:

Read more tips on driving safely in winter weather here.

The number of power outages across the state of Texas are growing as winter weather conditions wreaks havoc across the state.

As of 7:30 a.m. ET, more than 206,000 customers are in the dark, according to PowerOutage.US.

Just about two hours earlier, only around 100,000 customers were in the dark.

A large portion of the outages are in Travis County-Austin area, with more than 78,000 outages reported. 

CNN’s Chris Boyette contributed to this post.

There are now more than 1,800 flights canceled for Wednesday, according to the latest information from FlightAware.

American Airlines and Southwest are both reporting the highest number of flight cancellations.

The airports that are experiencing the bulk of the cancellations are in Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth International, Dallas Love Field and Austin-Bergstrom International. 

Heavy freezing rain is impacting Austin, Texas, and much of central Texas Wednesday morning, leading to dangerous travel and rapidly rising power outages.

Multiple rounds of moderate to locally heavy freezing rain are likely in the Austin and San Antonio areas through early this morning, creating the potential for significant icing impacts along the Interstate 35 corridor in central Texas, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Ice accumulations of a quarter to half an inch are expected.

Another round of precipitation is expected again Wednesday evening, potentially as freezing rain with an additional quarter inch of ice possible. Ice over this region should end by late Thursday morning as temperatures warm back above freezing.

Texas has over 200,000 customers without power, according to PowerOutage.us. This is up from 30,000 customer outages just a couple hours earlier.

The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for Dallas from 6 a.m. CT Wednesday until 9 a.m. CT Thursday. This is an expansion of the ice storm warning that was previously issued for Fort Worth, to begin at the same time Wednesday morning.

Areas of freezing rain will develop this morning in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and continue into the overnight hours. Ice accumulations up to a half inch are possible. With this level of ice accumulation, power outages and tree damage is likely.

Dangerous travel conditions will continue into Thursday morning.

Ice storm warnings are in place for more than 12 million people across parts of six states and include Dallas, Fort Worth, San Angelo, Little Rock and Memphis.