Freezing Rain Blamed For 5 Deaths In Fort Worth Crash As More Severe Ice Storms Expected Across South

Topline

Freezing rain is being blamed for a pileup of at least 100 vehicles in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday that has left five dead, as forecasts show larger swaths of the South could be hit by ice storms over the next week.

Key Facts

Five deaths have been confirmed so far in the dramatic early morning pileup, which occurred while freezing rain was falling.

The weather came as part of an ice storm that impacted Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee before moving into Kentucky and West Virginia on Thursday afternoon.

While forecasts remain subject to change, the chances look high for more severe ice storms to impact much larger swaths of the South over the coming week—rare weather events that threaten to bring crippling impacts to a part of the country where there is not much infrastructure in place to deal with winter weather.

The first major event looks to come Monday into Tuesday, bringing widespread freezing rain to east Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia before the weather system moves into the Northeast, where it will largely transition into a snowstorm.

Forecasts appear to show a near-repeat of the Monday-Tuesday storm later in the week, potentially packing two weather events that would be considered once-in-a-generation on their own into the course of just a few days.

Temperatures are also expected to plummet across the area to record lows, possibly leaving parts of East Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi that sometimes only deal with a handful of freezes a year below 32 degrees for the better part of a week.

Crucial Quote

“We were able to get a couple of buses from the fire department to actually put some of the victims from the crash- who were not patients but could’ve become patients because of hypothermia—into the buses so they got out of the cold environment,” Matt Zavadsky, spokesman for the MedStar ambulance service, said after Thursday’s pileup, according to CNN.

Surprising Fact

Ice storms, which happen when rain falls as the surface temperature is below 32 degrees, generally bring much more significant impacts than snowstorms, even during short-lived events. The glaze caused by ice forming on power lines can lead to widespread power outages, while roads also become hazardous as a glaze forms over them.

What To Watch For

Several cities where winter weather is rare could see major impacts, including Houston, Austin, Texas and Jackson, Mississippi. Thursday’s ice storm also closed down some Covid vaccine distribution sites.

Key Background

Mid-February usually starts to bring moderating weather conditions across the South, and in some areas, that’s exactly what was happening Thursday to the east of the ice storm. Highs approached 80 across parts of Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Just on Monday, Austin, Texas, reported a high of 76. The temperature sat at 33 Thursday afternoon, and is expected to drop to around 13 on Monday.

Big Number

Over 150,000. That’s how many power outages were reported Thursday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us, in areas impacted by the ice storm. That number will likely be much higher next week should the forecast pan out.

Further Reading

At least five dead, dozens more injured in 100-car pileup on icy Texas interstate (NBC News)

At least 5 dead in 70-vehicle wreck due to weather in Fort Worth, Texas, police say (CNN)

Vaccination sites across the Mid-South close for impending weather, appointments rescheduled (WMC-TV)

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