Storms with rain, ice, snow





By Marcus Kabel, Associated Press Writer
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. A minivan carrying 12 people skidded off an icy highway early Sunday and slammed into an oncoming tractor-trailer, killing seven, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.
Oklahoma was among the states affected by a crippling winter storm lashing 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.

FORECAST: Oklahoma City

The eastbound van slid through the center median and struck a westbound tractor-trailer around 3:50 a.m., trooper Kera Philippi said. Five of the van's occupants were taken to a hospital, Philippi said.

The identities of the victims were not immediately released. Philippi said all the van's occupants were residents of Mexico.

The winter 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.

The storm in the Midwest had been blamed for at least seven other 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 90,000 homes and businesses had no electricity Saturday in Missouri, mostly in the St. Louis area, while 6,000 customers were in the dark in Illinois.

"We have hundreds of crews. We kept them working all night long," said Susan Gallagher, a spokeswoman for the utility Ameren. "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., 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 and Texas Gov. Rick Perry activated their National Guard members on Saturday. Blunt, who also declared a state of emergency, said the worst wave may come Sunday.

In San Marcos, Texas, a tornado damaged at least 13 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.

"It's a good bit of damage," she said. "It's still stormy and we've got power outages in different places."

More than 6 inches of rain fell in places across central Texas, causing local flooding. Water also blocked three highways in southeastern Oklahoma, the Department of Transportation reported.

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.

In Oklahoma, about 92,450 customers were without power early Saturday, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.

More rain, freezing rain and snow was expected from northwest Oklahoma all the way to Wisconsin on Sunday, Pedigo said.

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.

In California's San Joaquin Valley, where much of the state's nearly $1 billion citrus crop is grown, temperatures dropped into the teens overnight Friday. Growers burned fires, sprayed warm irrigation water and ran giant fans to keep cold air away from their oranges, lemons and tangerines.

A.J. Yates, California's agriculture undersecretary, said the citrus industry could be substantially damaged if the temperature stays below 25 degrees for six hours or longer. Citrus growers said it was too soon to evaluate the damage.

"Overall I don't think it was a catastrophe last night," grower Ron Turner, 52, of Exeter, said Saturday. "But how this thing plays out in the next few days is going to be the key."

Looks like cold weather is due to arrive in easterh seaboard this Saturday, about 6 weeks later than usual, however will slowing economy offset increased demand from heating etc

more than just eastern states... -7 degrees in new york now

Winter storm closes I-10, strands motorists in West Texas
Updated 1/17/2007 9:39 AM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to stories like this


TEXAS' WEATHER

State snapshot



Forecasts for cities in Texas





By Jeff Carlton, Associated Press Writer
Joe Stokhaug and his pregnant wife, Sarah, were turned away from two fully booked motels when winter storms forced the closure of about a 300-mile stretch of Interstate 10 from Fort Stockton to San Antonio.
The Stokhaugs and at least 50 other motorists ended up in a convention center in Ozona, stranded there by storms that shut down businesses and schools across Texas, killed at least two more people and drove state inauguration ceremonies indoors Tuesday.

Stranded travelers at the convention center, described by motorists as a converted bingo hall, said folks were making the best of their situations overnight.

"They have air mattresses and cots for everybody and pizza and doughnuts," Joe Stokhaug said. "We've already made a couple friends here who are from Los Angeles."

The weather was blamed for a crash that killed two people on Interstate 35 near Buda, about 15 miles south of Austin. They were among at least five people killed since Friday, when the rough weather entered the state. At least 54 people have died across the country due to the winter storms.

The ice, sleet and snow botched a day typically reserved for inauguration ceremonies, forcing Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to move the festivities indoors for the first time in five decades. The traditional inaugural parade was canceled as well, and downtown Austin was largely deserted.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Austin officials closed highways at four major intersections and part of Interstate 35 near the University of Texas campus. The intersections would likely remain closed overnight and Wednesday.

Numerous schools and universities across Texas announced they were canceling or delaying classes Wednesday. Among them were districts in the Austin, San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas. Some local and state government offices also told employees to stay home. The inclement weather prompted community colleges in the Houston area to cancel Tuesday evening classes.

Weather officials said more bad weather was likely. A winter storm warning continued for the Hill Country through Wednesday morning with a possibility of snow and freezing rain, and a snow advisory was in effect through Wednesday afternoon for North Texas, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters predicted up to 3 inches of snow was expected to accumulate Wednesday from Brownwood to Paris and from Hillsboro to the Red River as temperatures were not expected to top freezing.

East Texas also faced the possibility of snow and sleet. Gary Chatelain, a Weather Service meteorologist in Shreveport, La., predicted a 60% chance of precipitation in the Tyler area on Wednesday with accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Temperatures weren't expected to break the lower 30s.

Forecasters expected more freezing rain to hit parts of Texas on Wednesday night, said Dennis Cook of the Weather Service's Austin-San Antonio office.

The Texas Department of Transportation on Tuesday shut down I-10, a major east-west route across the country, from Fort Stockton to San Antonio, a stretch of about 300 miles as the snow continued to fall on top of a layer of ice.

The highway remained closed early Wednesday morning. Kim Gillit, a Department of Public Safety dispatcher in Ozona, said a light snow was falling overnight. Traffic calls were few because motorists were keeping off the roads, she said.

Ozona Assistant Fire Chief Brian Morrow said the winter storms were the worst he'd seen in 20 years. The road closure made city officials scramble to find emergency supplies to help those taking shelter at the convention center.

"We had about 50 cots in route from Fort Stockton but the roads closed up," Morrow said. "The jailhouse has provided blankets and pillows that are normally used for the inmates."

Ancel Reed, who has lived in Ozona for about 20 years, said the wintry weather he saw Tuesday was rare.

"It's unusual because we hardly ever get snow here," Reed said. "It's been four or five years since we've had enough ice to shut anything down."

The weather delayed more than just motorists. Alex Castro, of Sonora, had to shut down production Tuesday at the natural gas wells he oversees near Sonora because the salt water waste they would produce couldn't get disposed of immediately.

"It all comes to a standstill. Today was the first day that we started running into some problems. As the day goes on it just gets worse," he said.

In the Rio Grande Valley, the weather was dangerous for illegal immigrants trying to cross the border, where the temperature has dropped 40 degrees since Sunday. The U.S. Border Patrol reported rescuing 15 illegal immigrants, including a woman who was airlifted Monday from a Falfurrias-area ranch to a Corpus Christi hospital.

Despite all the weather-related havoc, Ozona-area students were grateful for the storm. School officials in Ozona canceled Wednesday classes, the first snow day for many students. Students got out of school Tuesday at about 10 a.m.

"I went out and me and a friend had a snowball fight and made snow angels," said Morgan Capps, 16.

"There were kids all over town running around yelling and screaming and jumping up and down," said her mom, Glenda Capps. "It was beautiful."

Contributing: Associated Press writers Liz Austin Peterson, Kelley Shannon and April Castro in Austin, Anabelle Garay and Terry Wallace in Dallas, and Lynn Brezosky in Harlingen contributed to this report.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.