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January 31 – February 2, 2023 North American ice storm

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January 31 – February 2, 2023 North American ice storm
GOES-16 satellite image of the storm impacting the South Central United States at 17:36 UTC (11:36 a.m. CST) on January 31
Meteorological history
FormedJanuary 31, 2023
DissipatedFebruary 2, 2023
Ice storm
Lowest pressure1016 hPa (mbar); 30.00 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities10 (Per TWC)[1]
Damage$85.919 million (2023 USD)[2]
Areas affectedWest South Central states
Power outages563,000[3]
Part of the 2022–23 North American winter

An ice storm[4] impacted the Southern United States in early 2023, bringing heavy snow and ice across the region. The Weather Channel reported that at least 10 deaths were attributed to the winter storm,[1] which was unofficially named Winter Storm Mara by them.[5]

History

[edit]

The winter storm started[when?] when an Arctic cold passage made its way south into the Southern United States, where it met with warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, creating the ice storm.[6]

On January 31, an inch of sleet fell in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, with the accompaniment of lightning at times. On the same day, freezing rain also fell in Arkansas, including the Fayetteville and Fort Smith areas, as well as Missouri, where cities such as Joplin and Springfield were impacted. Freezing rain and sleet fell as far south as Austin and San Antonio on January 31.[7][8]

Preparations

[edit]
The National Weather Service's Winter Storm Severity Index for January 31, 2023

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated that she activated winter weather support teams from the Arkansas National Guard.[9] Multiple schools and universities, including Texas State University and St. Edward's University, announced virtual learning and closures.[10][11] DoorDash suspended operations in central Arkansas on January 31, while USPS also suspended operations in north Texas on that same day.[12][13] Other companies, including Amazon, FedEx, and UPS were operating under a limited capacity.[14] 60 warming shelters were opened in Texas.[15] The funeral for Tyre Nichols was postponed for four hours.[16] An NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards was postponed.[17] Approximately 60 million people from New Mexico to West Virginia were under a winter weather alert.[18][19]

Impact

[edit]

Multiple media organizations reported ten deaths that were attributed to the winter storm, including seven in Texas, two in Oklahoma, and one in Arkansas.[1] The National Centers for Environmental Information reported no deaths from this storm system.[20] Numerous interstates, including interstates 10, 30, 35W, and 40 were shut down due to car accidents that were caused by the winter storm.[21][22][23][24] Additionally, at least 100 car accidents were reported as a result.[25] A total of 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) of ice accumulated in Fischer, Texas,[26] while Kingsland, Texas received 0.67 inches (17 mm) of freezing rain.[27] Dallas set a daily snowfall record on January 31, at 1.3 inches (3.3 cm).[28]

In Texas, at least 350,000 people were left without power as a result of the storm due to tree limbs and power lines being brought down to ice. Of those 350,000 people, 160,000 were in Austin.[29] This can be contrasted with Winter Storm Uri, wherein 4.5 million people were left without power due to, among other things, demand exceeding supply. On February 4, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas issued a disaster declaration for a seven county area.[30]

At least 1,600 flights have been canceled, 888 of them in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport,[31] with flights from Delta, United, Southwest, and American airlines being cancelled.[32][33] At least 530,000 power outages were also reported.[34] As of March 20, 2023, more than 166,000 tons of debris produced by the storm had been collected by the City of Austin.[35]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Ice Storm Blamed In At Least 10 Deaths; Power Outages Top 500,000". The Weather Channel. 2 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  2. ^ [1] [2], NCEI
  3. ^ "United States Power Outages". PowerOutages.us. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Here are the latest Key Messages for the ice storm producing significant ice accumulations from the Southern Plains to the Mid-South. Additional power outages, tree damage, & treacherous travel are expected this evening & into Thursday AM. Conditions improve by Thursday PM". Twitter. Weather Prediction Center. 1 February 2023. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Thousands without power in Texas after ice storm". BBC News. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  7. ^ "Ice Storm Spreads From Texas To Arkansas And Tennessee | Weather.com". The Weather Channel. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  8. ^ "At least 8 dead as ice storm rages in the South, causing travel chaos and outages". NBC News. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  9. ^ Hernandez, Joe (January 31, 2023). "An ice storm is unleashing treacherous conditions across parts of the Southern U.S." NPR. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  10. ^ "LIST: Central Texas schools announce cancellations amid Winter Storm Warning". kvue.com. January 30, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  11. ^ "Several local districts close, delay classes amid winter storm". KXAN Austin. 2023-01-30. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  12. ^ Crockett, Ashley (2023-01-31). "AR DoorDash suspends food delivery service after winter storms threaten road safety". KATV. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  13. ^ Staff, FOX 4 (2023-01-31). "Dallas weather: US Postal Service temporarily suspends operations in North Texas". FOX 4. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Deliveries during winter storm: Here's how major package services are handling icy conditions in DFW". wfaa.com. January 31, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  15. ^ Musto, Julia (2023-02-01). "Over 240K without power in Texas after ice storm kills at least 6". FOXBusiness. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  16. ^ "Live updates | Funeral for Tyre Nichols". AP NEWS. 2023-02-01. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  17. ^ "Wiz-Pistons PPD over ice storm; Pels alter travel". ESPN.com. 2023-02-01. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  18. ^ Dam, Rob Shackelford,Derek Van (2023-01-30). "More than 40 million people are under winter weather alerts from Texas to West Virginia, with significant icing likely". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-02-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "Texas ice storm live updates: Over 250,000 customers without power". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  20. ^ "U.S. States and Areas Storm Event Database: January 31-February 2". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  21. ^ Jones, Hannah; Davies • •, Samantha (31 January 2023). "Crashes, Traffic Issues on Icy Roads Across North Texas Amid Winter Storm". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  22. ^ "Deadly ice storm cripples Texas with worst yet to come for South". news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  23. ^ "IH-10 eastbound lane closed after multi-vehicle pileup crash in Jeff Davis County". newswest9.com. January 31, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  24. ^ Ramirez Jr., Domingo (January 31, 2023). "Don't drive on icy North Texas roads Tuesday, Wednesday; 1 dead in Arlington because of weather". Fort Worth-Star Telegram.
  25. ^ Travis, Courtney (January 30, 2023). "AccuWeather meteorologists warn of icy travel, power outages from Texas to Tennessee". AccuWeather.
  26. ^ "Ice storm crippling Texas, Mid-South as death toll, power outages climb". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  27. ^ "How the February 2023 winter storm compares to other historical ice events in Central Texas". kvue.com. February 2, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  28. ^ Ice, Thunder Sleet, and Cancellations as North Texas Settles Into Winter Weather, DMagazine, January 31, 2023
  29. ^ Best, Paul (February 1, 2023). "Texas winter storm knocks out power for at least 350,000". Fox News.
  30. ^ "Gov. Greg Abbott issues ice storm disaster declaration for some Texas counties". 4 February 2023.
  31. ^ "More than 1,500 flights canceled as fatal ice storm sweeps the South". NBC News. February 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  32. ^ Ortiz, John Bacon, Marina Pitofsky and Jorge L. "'It's messy out there': Fierce winter storm cancels flights, makes roads treacherous, leads to one death. Updates". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ "Dangerous ice storm sweeps parts of southern US". BBC News. 2023-01-31. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  34. ^ "United States Power Outages". PowerOutages.us. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  35. ^ "City of Austin collecting second round of storm debris March 31". 21 March 2023.
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