A winter storm is forecasted to move from Southern Plains through the Ohio Valley and into New England beginning Wednesday. The National Weather Service warned that the ice and snow could lead to power outages and challenging travel for several.
Oklahoma, Kentucky, Illinois, Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee are under winter storm danger.
ON WEDNESDAY, the NWS Weather Prediction Center said that the storm could lead to “significant ice accumulations” to Texas’ Red River Valley and the Ozarks in Missouri, resulting in critical conditions, tree damage, and power outages.
The Dallas Independent School District announced schools closing on Thursday because of the storm. Area Airports were also significantly impacted due to the bad weather conditions. Most of the outbound and inbound flights at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport were canceled or delayed, according to the airports’ website.
Critical weather conditions will prevail Northeast as the winter storm moves North. Parts of western Maryland and Pennyslyvia will be covered with ice. In addition, heavy snow is expected in New England and New York parts through Friday. It has been predicted that snowfall can rate up to an inch an hour, with a more significant part of New England under a winter storm, the NWS remarked.
“As the system moves to the Central Appalachians/Mid-Atlantic on Friday morning, heavy snow will develop over the Northeast parts into Southern New England,” the NWS in College Park, Maryland, reported. “Widespread amounts of 6-12 inches are forecast.”
The storm is expected to hit days after parts of New York saw near-record temperatures, CBS New York’s Elise Finch reports. Temperatures reached 68 degrees on Wednesday, 24 degrees higher than the average temperature for February and only 4 degrees lesser than the record high temperature reported in 1874.
People living in the warned area have been asked to take precautions since the condition is severe. In addition, since ice could make the roads dangerous, those who do not have to travel have been asked to stay home.
Polling Locations Close Early and Will be Closed Thursday
Due to severe weather conditions, various polling locations for early voting in North Texas will be closed on Thursday.
Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties said their polling locations would be shut on Thursday.
The polling locations had shut early on Wednesday throughout the area. In Denton County, all voting locations had closed at noon. All polling destinations in Collin County shut early at 2 P.M.
Tarrant County closed its polling locations at 5 P.M. The Dallas County elections office has a list of early voting locations on their website that would either be shut on Friday due to poor weather conditions or closing early.