Winter weather updates: Ice storm slams Texas, power outages pile up - USA TODAY

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AUSTIN, Texas – More than 230,000 homes and businesses crossed the state were without powerfulness Wednesday and much than 1,800 flights were canceled amid an unrelenting blast of treacherous, icy conditions and brutal acold that has near astatine slightest six dead.

The wintertime upwind system, present successful its 3rd day, has swept from Minnesota and New York deep into the bosom of Texas. Wrecks connected slippery roads person been reported successful Texas, Arkansas and states crossed the portion each week. In Texas' Travis County, officials said connected Tuesday they were responding to caller crashes each 3 minutes.

And successful parts of Minnesota, a upwind chill advisory was successful effect Wednesday greeting amid upwind chills dropping arsenic debased arsenic 35 degrees below zero. Officials warned that the conditions tin origin frostbite successful arsenic small arsenic 10 minutes.

Weather developments:

►A wintertime tempest informing was besides successful effect until Thursday successful east central, southeast and southern Oklahoma.

►LaGuardia Airport successful New York was nether a crushed halt for the 2nd greeting successful a enactment owed to wintry conditions.

WHAT IS WIND CHILL? Understanding the upwind chill scale and however it's calculated

Winter tempest informing continues successful parts of Texas

An crystal tempest informing is successful effect until Thursday morning in parts of north and cardinal Texas as mostly freezing rainfall and sleet are expected successful the area, the National Weather Service successful Fort Worth warned. The upwind work warned that “significant” icing is expected, and accumulations could reach up to one-half inch.

Some wintertime tempest warnings were acceptable to assistance by noon connected Wednesday, the upwind work said. But powerfulness outages and histrion harm were still apt due to the fact that of ice successful the area, and officials warned that drivers should support an other flashlight, nutrient and h2o successful in their vehicles.

"The authorities of Texas is moving astir the timepiece to support Texans harmless and lukewarm implicit the people of this terrible wintertime upwind and flooding event," Gov. Greg Abbott said. "Texans are urged to stay weather-aware and enactment disconnected the roads if possible."

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? Sleet vs. freezing rainfall vs. hail

Austin struggles with outages, much crystal coming

More than one-third of the Texas powerfulness outages were successful the Austin country aboriginal Wednesday. While Austin could spot temperatures reach 33 degrees for a fewer hours successful the afternoon, forecasters warned that the upwind chill volition stay successful the mid 20s.

The Austin portion could spot an further 0.1 to 0.25 inches of crystal Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. There is simply a accidental the crystal could crook to rainfall during the day moving into the evening, however, forecasters expect the freezing rainfall volition proceed again during the evening and into aboriginal Thursday morning.

Ice tempest warnings agelong to Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee

An crystal tempest informing was besides successful effect until Thursday in parts of eastbound Arkansas, northbound Mississippi and westbound Tennessee. Sleet accumulations of up to one-half inch are possible.

Officials warned that question conditions could proceed to beryllium hard successful the coming days. Interstate 40 successful parts of Arkansas was coated successful ice on Tuesday.