State-by-state look at wintry blast hitting U.S.
A big chunk of the U.S. is getting a blast of frigid temperatures, sleet, snow and ice. Several deaths have been reported, most resulting from treacherous driving conditions. More than a thousand flights have been canceled, football and basketball games postponed and holiday celebrations including town tree lightings and parades curtailed. Here is a state-by-state look at the wintry weather:
ARIZONA
A storm rolling in over the weekend will keep the northern part of the state in the grips of freezing temperatures, bringing more snow and making travel tricky.
Phoenix residents could see a dusting of snow in the surrounding mountains. Several inches of snow could fall in higher terrain.
ARKANSAS
Freezing rain, sleet and snow brought most of Arkansas to a near standstill Friday, and Gov. Mike Beebe declared a statewide emergency.
As many as 44,000 homes and businesses were without power, and utilities warned customers that the outages could last for up to a week. Cancellations included the Arkansas State Capitol holiday lighting ceremony and a Jimmy Buffett concert in North Little Rock. Also, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky wasn’t able to make a scheduled appearance in Hot Springs.
CALIFORNIA
Four homeless people have died of hypothermia in the San Francisco Bay Area since last week, authorities said.
One victim was found dead Nov. 28, and the other deaths were discovered in the last two days, Santa Clara County sheriff’s Lt. Dave Lera said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
Lera said three of the victims died at homeless encampments in San Jose, while a fourth died in a garage “with the door opened.”
Temperatures in San Jose fell to 30 degrees Friday morning, breaking the record low of 32 degrees for that date, which was set in 1904. The low on Nov. 28 was 45 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
COLORADO
Colorado residents braced for another round of snow this weekend as blistering cold temperatures continue across the state.
The weather service issued a winter storm watch through Sunday for the Western Slope. Forecasters say up to a foot more of snow is expected in the mountains. Temperatures were as low as 26 degrees below zero in Walden.
DAKOTAS
The National Weather Service posted advisories for the two states saying wind chills could make the temperature feel as low as 40 degrees below zero into the weekend.
ILLINOIS
Forecasters say parts of southern Illinois could get as much as a foot and a half of snow by the time a wintry storm moves through the region. A quarter inch of ice also is expected.
Classes were canceled at dozens of schools, including the 18,000-student Carbondale campus of Southern Illinois University.
Jackson County in southern Illinois declared a state of emergency and Illinois State Police have responded to dozens of vehicle accidents.
INDIANA
Two people were killed on treacherous roads and schools and businesses were closed as a storm that dumped ice and as much as 10 inches of snow on much of Indiana stretched into its second day Friday.
Schools and businesses were closed. The roads proved even too hazardous for a Department of Transportation plow truck that flipped onto its side on Indiana 45.
KENTUCKY
Kentucky residents said goodbye to temperatures in the 70s as sleet, snow and plummeting temperatures moved into the state Friday.
The western and central parts of the state were under winter storm warnings, and a flood watch was in effect into Saturday morning.
Multiple school districts canceled classes and the Kentucky High School Athletic Association rescheduled championship football games.
MICHIGAN
Cold temperatures and snow were expected in Michigan into next week. The lowest readings Friday morning were in the Upper Peninsula, including zero degrees in Ironwood.
Forecasters said lake-effect snow was possible in the Upper Peninsula and parts of western Michigan. Snow and freezing rain could make travel difficult. Gale warnings were in effect Friday for Lake Superior, with waves expected to be 18 feet to as high as 27 feet.
MINNESOTA
Some cities in Minnesota canceled weekend parades because of the bitter cold.
Highs Saturday were forecast to range from 5 to 10 below in northern Minnesota to around 5 above in the far southeast. St. Cloud’s Winter Nights and Lights Parade and Santa Fun Run were canceled because of the dangerously cold temperatures in the forecast.
MISSOURI
The mayor of small-town Granby died in a wreck when his truck ran off an icy state highway and struck a tree in southwestern Missouri.
Most of the southern part of the state was under winter weather warnings, with up to 8 inches of snow possible by Friday evening. The state also was seeing severe temperature fluctuations. St. Louis reached 69 degrees Wednesday; afternoon temperatures Thursday were 40 degrees colder.
NEVADA
In southern Nevada, the National Weather Service says tourists could see snow flurries amid rain showers Saturday on the Las Vegas Strip. But measurable snow isn’t expected near casino marquees.
Temperatures plunged to 19 degrees below zero in northeast Nevada early Friday in Ely near the Utah state line. Forecasters say up to 2 feet of snow is possible in the mountains.
NEW JERSEY
Forecasters warned that New Jersey drivers could face slippery conditions over the weekend as a wintry mix of snow and sleet moved into the state beginning Friday night into Saturday.
NEW MEXICO
Crews in New Mexico worked to clear snowy, icy roads, while some schools and government agencies closed Friday, a day after a storm dumped 6 inches of snow.
The storm also critically injured a sheriff’s sergeant who was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic on Interstate 25 near the San Felipe Pueblo.
OHIO
Parts of southwest and central Ohio are seeing snow as more wintry weather hits areas that earlier got a mix of rain and sleet. Forecasters said central and southwest Ohio could get 5 to 9 inches of snow by midnight Friday.
OKLAHOMA
Officials said at least two deaths were caused by the storm that has made traveling dangerous due to a coating of snow and sleet. A 5-year-old boy from Fort Gibson was killed Thursday in a vehicle crash, and Oklahoma City police reported that an unidentified man was discovered dead under an overpass.
In Stillwater, Oklahoma State officials say crews are clearing snow and ice from inside Boone Pickens Stadium in preparation for the Oklahoma State-Oklahoma football game on Saturday.
The storm dumped several inches of sleet, ice and snow on much of the state.
PENNSYLVANIA
Wintry forecasts prompted the postponement of high school football playoff games Friday in Pennsylvania. Snow, rain or a wintry mix are forecast for most of the state.
OHIO
More wintry weather hit parts of southwest and central Ohio on Friday as snow accumulated on roads left icy from an earlier mix of rain and sleet.
Snow began falling in the afternoon in Cincinnati, which issued a Level 1 snow emergency indicating hazardous roads with blowing and drifting snow. The notice restricted street parking along designated snow emergency routes, and city crews began working on primary roads to prevent potential problems for evening commuters.
OREGON
Schools hunkered down, either closing or curtailing hours, as the storm accompanied by plunging temperatures hit the state. Oregon State students got an early start on the weekend when the university shut down at noon.
Forecasters expect up to 3 inches on the coast and up to 10 inches east of the Cascade Range. Wind chills were forecast as low as minus-25.
TENNESSEE
Forecasters issued winter storm warnings and watches and an ice storm warning for western Tennessee on Friday.
Officials cautioned of hazardous road conditions and the possibility electricity could be lost. Schools closed, including universities.
TEXAS
This weekend’s Dallas Marathon was canceled after an ice storm snarled travel in North Texas and left more than a quarter of a million homes and business without electricity. Schools canceled classes a day before, many businesses gave workers the day off, and frigid roads and sidewalks were mostly empty.
Fort Worth-based American Airlines and American Eagle canceled nearly 1,000 flights Friday due to foul weather in Texas. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines canceled almost 90 flights.
Temperatures are forecast to stay below freezing after the rain passes, meaning residents will have to contend with icy roads through the weekend.
WASHINGTON
The National Weather Service says the cold snap has brought the coldest temperatures in three years to western Washington.
Organizers canceled Saturday’s holiday parade in Walla Walla, saying they didn’t want to expose the expected 5,000 spectators to temperatures forecast to be no warmer than 11 degrees.
The temperature Thursday at Pullman’s airport was a record-breaking minus-3.
WYOMING
Laramie postponed its Friday night downtown holiday parade and tree lighting because temperatures could drop as low as minus-15.