Wind, ice lash way across U.S.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A crippling winter storm lashed the central part of the nation with another blast of freezing rain, sleet and snow Saturday, causing widespread power outages and tying up highways and airports.
The storm was expected to continue through the weekend, laying down a coat of ice and snow from Texas to Illinois, where an ice storm warning was in effect through Monday morning.
“We’re in the middle of this storm,” said Joe Pedigo, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in St. Louis. “Friday was the first of three waves.”
Farther west, frigid arctic air reached as far south as southern and central California, where plunging temperatures prompted worry about the homeless and crops.
In Nevada, temperatures plunged as much as minus 28 in the northern part of the state, filling homeless shelters to capacity and prompting ranchers to use axes to break ice in troughs so cattle could drink, authorities said.
The storm in the Midwest had been blamed for at least six deaths and brought Amtrak service in Missouri to a halt on Saturday. Trees and other debris knocked down by the weight of ice blocked tracks at several locations between St. Louis and Kansas City.
About 115,000 homes and businesses had no electricity Saturday in the St. Louis area.
“We have hundreds of crews. We kept them working all night long,” Susan Gallagher, a spokeswoman for the utility Ameren, said Saturday. “Like everyone, we don’t know what the extent of damage will be with the arrival of more ice.”
Between 60,000 and 70,000 customers were without power in Springfield, Mo., on Saturday, plus an unknown number of homes and businesses in surrounding towns, said Jenny Fillmer Edwards, spokeswoman for the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management.
Roads in southwest Missouri began freezing after sunset. Two shelters in Springfield filled Saturday, and emergency officials planned to open one more. There were also three shelters for people with special needs and medical conditions.
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency Saturday and activated the National Guard. He said the worst wave may come today.
In San Marcos, Texas, it wasn’t clear whether a tornado or straight-line wind damaged at least 10 homes, several businesses and the police headquarters. Fallen power lines blocked a section of Interstate 35 until crews could remove them, said Melissa Millecam, communications manager for the city, 30 miles south of Austin.
More than 6 inches of rain fell in places across central Texas, causing local flooding.
About 300 flights were canceled Saturday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, spokesman David Magana said. Cancellations also were reported in St. Louis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.