Travel warning issued as ‘catastrophic’ winter storm to hit 19 states | EUROtoday

Millions of Americans from New Mexico to the Carolinas are bracing for a doubtlessly catastrophic ice storm that might crush timber and energy traces and knock out energy for days.

Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston might see sufficient snow to make journey very troublesome or almost not possible, forecasters say.

An estimated 100 million individuals had been below some kind of winter climate watch, warning or advisory on Wednesday forward of the storm, the National Weather Service mentioned.

The storm, anticipated to start Friday and proceed by means of the weekend, can be projected to convey heavy snow and all varieties of wintry precipitation, together with freezing rain and sleet.

An atmospheric river of moisture may very well be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation throughout Texas and different states alongside the Gulf Coast and persevering with throughout Georgia and the Carolinas earlier than heading northeast, forecasters mentioned.

“Snow amounts could reach a foot or more in the I-95 major cities from D.C. to Boston,” mentioned climate service forecasters on the East Coast, who’re more and more assured the storm will strike the massive cities.

In Washington, D.C., “the combination of heavy snow and ice alongside prolonged very cold temperatures presents a unique and significant risk to life and property across virtually the entire region,” forecasters mentioned within the climate service’s Washington/Baltimore workplace warned.

Here’s a have a look at the approaching storm and the way individuals are making ready for it, by the numbers:

0

The variety of snowplows owned by town of Jackson, Mississippi, the place a mixture of ice and sleet is feasible this weekend. The metropolis makes use of different heavy equipment like skid steers and small excavators to clear roads, mentioned James Caldwell, deputy director of public works. Jackson additionally has three vans that carry salt and sand to unfold throughout roads earlier than freezing climate.

0.5

The quantity of ice — half an inch, or 1.27 centimeters — that may result in a crippling ice storm, toppling timber and energy traces to create widespread and long-lasting energy outages. The newest forecasts from the climate service warn of the potential for a half-inch of ice or extra for a lot of areas, together with elements of Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee.

1

The variety of Nashville snowplows named after nation music legend and Tennessee native Dolly Parton (Dolly Plowton). Another snowplow in East Tennessee was named Snowlene after her traditional hit music “Jolene” as a part of a 2022 naming contest.

3

The variety of layers wanted to maintain heat in excessive chilly. AP video journalist Mark Vancleave in Minnesota explains the advantages of all three — a base layer, a center layer and an outer shell — on this video.

4

The variety of main U.S. hub airports within the path of the southern storm this weekend, when ice, sleet and snow might delay passengers and cargo: Dallas-Fort Worth; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Still extra main airports on the East Coast might see delays later, because the storm barrels east.

12

The variety of inches of snow that might fall in elements of Oklahoma.

“You’ve got to be very weather aware, and real smart about what you’re doing,” mentioned Charles Daniel, who drives a semitrailer throughout western Oklahoma.

“One mistake can literally kill somebody, so you have to use your head,” he added.

15

The variety of snow and ice removing vans operated by Memphis, Tennessee’s Division of Public Works. The metropolis additionally has six vans that unfold brine, a mix designed to soften wintry precipitation. Statewide, the Tennessee Department of Transportation has 851 salt vans and 634 brine vans, and a lot of the salt vans double as plows.

19

Parts of a minimum of 19 states within the storm’s path had been below winter storm watches by late Wednesday, with extra watches and warnings anticipated because the system approaches. They embody Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. An estimated 55 million individuals are included in these winter storm watches, the climate service mentioned.

32

The diploma in Fahrenheit when water freezes, equal to 0 Celsius. This is a magic quantity with regards to winter climate, mentioned Eric Guillot, a scientist on the climate service. If the temperature is barely above 32, it is going to be principally liquid. But the colder it’s under the mark, the extra effectively precipitation will freeze.

45

The variety of snowplow vans on the prepared in Nashville, Tennessee, in line with the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure.

50 under zero

The windchill worth — how chilly it feels to an individual when winds are factored in — that’s anticipated in elements of the Northern Plains, the climate service initiatives. That equates to minus 45.6 Celsius and is forecast for elements of northern Minnesota and North Dakota.

“When the weather forecast says, ‘feels like negative 34,’ it’s just a matter of covering skin and being prepared for it,” mentioned Nils Anderson, who owns Duluth Gear Exchange, an outside tools retailer in Duluth, Minnesota.

330

The variety of snowplows within the metropolis of Chicago, the place annual snowfall averages 37 to 39 inches (0.94 to 0.99 meters). The metropolis additionally has 40 4×4 automobiles, and about 12 beet juice-dispensing vans, in line with Cole Stallard, Chicago’s commissioner of Streets and Sanitation. The pure sugars of beet juice decrease the freezing level of water, permitting salt mixtures to work at a lot decrease temperatures and stopping refreezing, whereas additionally serving to salt stick with the highway longer.

600

The variety of miles added final 12 months to snowplow routes in Nashville, Tennessee. That was completed “to get deeper into our neighborhoods — roads that had never been plowed before,” mentioned Alex Apple, a spokesperson for Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell.

1,000-plus

Texas has this variety of items of winter climate tools, together with snowplows, motor graders and brine tankers, Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson Adam Hammons mentioned. He mentioned the company additionally works with state companions and contractors to get extra tools when wanted. In the Dallas space, “right now our main focus is treating our roadways in advance of the storm,” company spokesperson Tony Hartzel mentioned Wednesday.

78,000

The variety of cubic yards of salt readily available on the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The state has 121 salt homes across the Arkansas, plus 600 salt spreaders and 700 snowplows, mentioned Dave Parker, an company spokesperson.