The deadly ice storm crippling much of the South leaves more than 300,000 Texans without power in the frigid cold - CNN

CNN  — 

Treacherous roadworthy conditions are present linked to 3 deaths successful Texas arsenic a caller question of crystal and sleet hammer parts of the confederate and cardinal US.

A 49-year-old pistillate was killed this week erstwhile she mislaid power of her motortruck connected an icy roadworthy northbound of Eldorado, the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN connected Wednesday.

Two different deaths were antecedently linked to the tempest that coated Texas cities with sleet oregon ice. In southbound Austin, 1 idiosyncratic died Tuesday greeting successful a 10-car pileup, the city’s occurrence section said. Another idiosyncratic died erstwhile their car rolled implicit successful the Dallas-area metropolis of Arlington, constabulary said.

The unsafe conditions are not over. A nasty operation of freezing rain, sleet and accumulating crystal are expected deed parts of Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee done astatine slightest Thursday morning, forecasters said.

And arsenic sunset approached Wednesday evening, experts sent retired a stark informing astir the unsafe operation of the frigid temperatures and the freezing rainfall aft dark.

“Road conditions volition beryllium AWFUL aft sunset and overnight,” the National Weather Service successful Fort Worth said. “DO NOT BE ON THE ROADS.”

More than an inch of sleet has already piled up successful parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois since Monday.

In Texas alone, much than 330,000 homes, businesses and different powerfulness customers had nary energy successful the frigid acold Wednesday, according to PowerOutage.US.

Dangerous conditions prompted Parkland Health strategy successful Dallas to adjacent its clinics Wednesday.

Here’s what’s connected pat successful the confederate and cardinal US:

• Texas: The authorities has seen dense freezing rainfall passim the day, which volition proceed steadily Wednesday evening and into overnight crossed overmuch of bluish and cardinal Texas arsenic temperatures stay beneath freezing.

• Southern Oklahoma: More wintry rainfall and up to an inch of crystal accumulation are expected Wednesday evening.

• South-central Arkansas and Tennessee’s Memphis area: An further tenth- to quarter-inch of crystal could heap up done Thursday morning.

• Across the region: Total crystal accumulation of astatine slightest a 4th of an inch is apt from West Texas to occidental Tennessee done Thursday morning. Up to a half-inch could physique up successful parts of cardinal and north-central Texas and confederate Arkansas, the National Weather Service said.

• Widespread formation cancellations: More than 2,300 flights within, into oregon retired of the US person been canceled Wednesday, according to the tracking website FlightAware.

In a authorities not accustomed to dense ice, a radical of Jeep enthusiasts utilized their vehicles to assistance stranded drivers.

The Dallas-based “Carnales Off Road” radical regularly supports those successful need, laminitis Jorge Coronilla Muñiz told CNN.

“It’s not the archetypal clip we’ve done this during atrocious weather. We effort to assistance arsenic often arsenic possible,” Muñiz said.

Several semi-trucks got stuck connected Interstate 20 connected Tuesday, and astir 30 Jeeps helped tow them.

“Before we got to I-20, we besides helped a fewer different cars who were stuck connected the streets,” Muniz said. “We yet came crossed the standstill connected Interstate 20 and helped an further 20 trucks.”

Muñiz said helium and different radical members helped stranded motorists from aboriginal Tuesday greeting each the mode until 10 p.m.

“Everyone was precise grateful for our help, particularly the motortruck drivers. Some adjacent asked if we were going to complaint them for the help, but we told them we were conscionable determination to help.”

The radical is backmost retired connected the roads Wednesday and volition assistance aesculapian professionals having trouble getting to and from work, Muñiz said.

More than 12 cardinal radical crossed parts of southeastern Oklahoma, confederate Missouri, cardinal and eastbound Arkansas, occidental Tennessee, northwestern Mississippi and Texas are nether crystal tempest warnings Wednesday.

The upwind work issues crystal tempest warnings erstwhile crystal accumulations of much than a 4th of an inch are possible. On Wednesday, the informing areas are expected to spot up to oregon much than a fractional of an inch of freezing rain.

Unsafe question conditions Tuesday led to hundreds of car crashes crossed Texas, officials said. Emergency workers responded to radical suffering from hypothermia oregon those injured aft slipping connected ice. The Texas National Guard is prepared to assistance stranded motorists, wide roadways and supply payment checks, Gov. Greg Abbott said. And Texas Parks and Wildlife has astatine slightest 30 responders acceptable for hunt and rescue operations.

Meanwhile, a abstracted tempest strategy volition besides nonstop temperatures plunging crossed the Northeast.

The National Weather Service predicts “dangerously acold temperatures” successful the portion Friday and Saturday, with freezing acold upwind chills that tin origin frostbite successful conscionable 10 minutes, it said.

“Limit clip outdoors and screen each tegument if going out,” the work added.

The work forecasts upwind chills of -20 to -35 degrees Fahrenheit aboriginal Friday affecting parts of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, portion Saturday greeting could bring upwind chills of -60 degrees Fahrenheit crossed bluish New England, the upwind work said.

Leaders crossed states including Rhode Island, Connecticut and Maine were coordinating resources up of the utmost upwind and mounting up warming centers, according to messages from the governors.

“Temperatures this play volition beryllium highly - and dangerously - acold crossed the state,” Maine Gov. Janet Mills said successful a Tuesday quality release. “Please instrumentality other precautions, beryllium cautious if you spell outside, and beryllium definite to cheque connected your family, friends, and neighbors to marque definite they are okay.”