Another winter weather system is moving east from Texas bringing ice, sleet, and snow to the region. The current winter weather alerts will impact nearly 40 million people in Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky and West Virginia. Monday and Tuesday January 30 and 31, several airports in Texas, including Dallas Love, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and Houston Bush International airports, have had to cancel thousands of flights.
The Marshallese community in Keene and Cleburne, Texas will be directly impacted where a winter storm warning is in effect until Thursday morning, February 2. Cold temperatures unusual for Texas between 24-29° F today, falling snow that becomes covered in sleet, and freezing rain can create dangerous travel conditions. There has already been an increase in traffic accidents and rollover crashes from ice on the roads. People are advised to avoid travel at this time.
The amount of ice can also cause tree damage and power outages. In parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky, there has already been one-tenth to three-tenths of an inch of ice covering trees and roads. Some areas may see up to three-fourths of an inch of ice. While they expect ice in Oklahoma City, snow and ice is not expected in Enid, OK. This is also the case in Arkansas where Gov. Huckabee Sanders activated the winter weather support teams to respond to icy conditions in Little Rock. In Springdale, schools have a remote teaching and learning day January 31. The Community Pharmacy also is closed due to road conditions. You can text 479-888-4746 for urgent medication needs.
The governor of Texas has increased capacity for the state’s emergency management division, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas expects to “meet the forecasted demand” and avoid a repeat of the massive power outages during winter storms two years ago. The ERCT is not asking that residents avoid running the heat but IF they experience an outage to reach out to their local power provider. Keep warm by using extra blankets and clothing to stay warm; wear multiple layers like a shirt, sweaters and jacket as well as warm socks and hats.
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Ta en aikuj jeļā n̄an bōbrae im kōjparok eok ilo ien an ļap m̧oļo?
Ilo iien an ļap m̧oļo, pād wōt loan em. N̄e kwōj aikuj driwōj n̄an nabōj, ekōņak bujin nuknuk keņaak, klob, at, im sikab. Jon̄an kiaj ilo wa ko en jimattan bwe eban kwōj. Barāinwōt kōjparok am̧ ettōr ioon ial bwe emaron̄ wōr aij ie im lale jikin etetal n̄e elōn̄ jiņo im aij.
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What do you need to know to stay safe in cold weather?
In unseasonable or extreme cold weather, stay inside. If you must go outside, wear several layers of lightweight warm clothing, mittens, hat, and scarf. Keep gas tanks half full to avoid freezing and take caution if traveling on icy or snowy walkways or roads. Be aware that there is danger in running cars or using generators, camp stoves or other gas-burning devices in enclosed spaces from carbon monoxide. Homeowners should also take precautions to avoid pipes from freezing and bursting
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Update (February 2, 2023): Winter Storm Mara left sleet and ice up to 0.75″ thick in Fischer TX, 0.50″ in Pine Ridge AR, 0.33″ in Austin TX, and 0.16″ in Little Rock AR. poweroutage.us/area/state/texas reports more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Texas lost power due to the storm. Fortunately, there were very few reports from Johnson County, where many Marshallese in Texas live. The storm should break Thursday evening bringing sunshine and temperatures well above freezing Friday. The cold temperatures will move from the states like Wyoming, Iowa and Michigan to states in the Northeast who will again see exceptionally cold temperatures with wind chill this weekend. For weather maps over the past week, see abc6.com/arctic-blast-arrives-friday/ which shows the exposure of artic air caused by a brief shift in the jet stream similar to what we experienced a month ago in late December.