ALL across the country, Winter Storm Landon wreaked havoc on Friday, dumping a foot of snow in parts of the Northeast and causing major traffic and electricity problems throughout Texas, Alabama and Tennessee.
Winter Storm Landon spread to the Northeast after hitting the South hard with a crippling ice storm Thursday that caused over 300,000 homes and businesses from Texas to Ohio to lose power, according to The Weather Channel.
As of Friday afternoon, Tennessee is having the most power outages, while Ohio and New York also have a very concentrated amount of lost electricity, according to poweroutage.us.
The storm also started a deadly tornado in Alabama on Thursday that reportedly killed one person and critically injured three others.
Landon caused Interstate 10 in Texas to shut down, leaving hundreds of drivers stuck in traffic for hours near San Antonio.
Thousands of flights were canceled Friday, according to FlightAware, with over 1,000 flights canceled just in the Northeast region.
As of 11am Friday, over 4,000 flights in the US have been canceled due to severe snow and ice.
This could be the biggest Midwest snowfall in a century.
The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts that between eight and 14 inches of snow could fall in the region.
The storm is set to move to the sea around Friday night, but the weekend is expected to keep the remaining ice and snow because of subfreezing temperatures, according to the weather service.
Read our Winter storm Landon live blog for the latest news and updates…
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Why should you warm up slowly?
Even though it’s tempting to hop into a hot bath, sauna or jacuzzi after coming in from the cold, you may be putting yourself at risk.
“Exposure to intense heat is not a way to treat hypothermia,” The Weather Channel warned.
“If you soak in a jacuzzi it can be very painful for your skin, and even cause a heart attack.”
Try heating up after extreme cold exposure by applying warm washcloths to the body, or using strategically-placed hot water bottles.
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Swap alcohol for hot chocolate
“Alcohol doesn’t actually make you warm,” The Weather Channel noted in a video.
“It can cause you to feel warm by moving blood to the top of the skin, but taking that heat away from your core can be dangerous,” the experts at the channel explained.
Swap your alcoholic beverage for hot chocolate, which has more calories–essential for keeping your body healthy in chilly conditions–and will help raise your body temperature.
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Drink water to stay safe
Drinking water in the winter is vital to your safety, The Weather Channel explained.
“You can still get dehydrated in the winter,” the outlet said in a video, but you’re less likely to realize it.
Dry winter air makes sweat evaporate more quickly, so you may not realize the severity of dehydration as quickly as in the summer months.
“Drink more water, especially when exercising outside,” The Weather Channel advised.
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Be gentle with frostbitten skin
In a video, The Weather Channel explained why you shouldn’t rub frostbitten skin to warm it up.
“Your first instinct may be to rub your hands together to cause friction, but fight the urge,” the video advised.
Tiny ice crystals on your skin may tear and rip at the soft tissue, causing more damage.
The safer way to warm up is by gradually heating your skin, ideally using warm water.
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Staying safe in winter storms
In a video posted to Twitter, The Weather Channel shared five tips for staying safe in winter.
- Don’t rub frostbitten skin
- Drink water
- Skip the booze
- Warm up slowly
- Vehicles may not be safe refuge
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Photos show snowfall in St. Louis
In St. Louis, Missouri, most of the metro area received between 6 and 12 inches of snow.
Post-Dispatch photo reporter David Carson shared photos of the snowscape at the landmark St. Louis Gateway Arch on Friday morning.
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Drivers in Texas stuck overnight
On the I-10 in Texas, drivers were stuck in their cars overnight from Thursday into Friday in single-digit temperatures.
A jackknifed semi-truck reportedly caused the backup.
Traffic finally began moving again Friday afternoon.
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Texas suffered deadly damage in 2021
The winter storms in Texas in 2021 proved severe for residents there.
A Department of State Health Services report on the freezing temperatures last year found that 246 deaths were caused, which spanned 77 counties, and those who died ranged from under 1-year-old to 102 years old.
Nearly two-thirds of the deaths were due to hyperthermia, the Texas Tribune reported.
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What is a winter weather advisory?
A winter weather advisory is an indication that winter weather conditions are likely.
However, the conditions expected are not severe enough to warrant a warning.
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What is a winter weather watch?
A winter weather watch indicates that there is potential for severe winter weather.
If a winter weather watch is issued, prepare for dangerous weather conditions.
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What is a winter weather warning?
A winter weather warning indicates that a storm is more than likely in your area, and you should take action immediately.
Expect dangerous conditions and try to avoid travel.
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Winter storm names
These are the names the Weather Channel chose for winter storms during the 2021 to 2022 season:
- Atticus
- Bankston
- Carrie
- Delphine
- Elmer
- Frida
- Garrett
- Hatcher
- Izzy
- Jasper
- Kenan
- Landon
- Miles
- Nancy
- Oaklee
- Phyllis
- Quinlan
- Rachel
- Silas
- Tad
- Usher
- Vega
- Willow
- Xandy
- Yeager
- Zion
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Why did the US start naming storms, continued
Established by the World Meteorological Organization, a list of names are now used to identify Atlantic hurricanes on a six-year rotation.
The only time that there is a change is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm is considered inappropriate.
In the event that more than twenty-one named tropical cyclones occur in a season, a supplemental list of names are used.
As for winter storms, The Weather Channel has been naming winter storms since the 2012-2013 winter season.
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Why did the US start naming storms?
Tropical storms and hurricanes were tracked by year and the order they occurred until the early 1950s.
However, over time, it was discovered that distinctive names would be needed to reduce confusion and streamline communications when two or more tropical storms occur at the same time.
That came after storm advisories broadcast from radio stations were mistaken for warnings concerning an entirely different storm located hundreds of miles away.
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Treacherous roads in Indiana
Sergeant Jeremy Piers, the state’s Public Information Officer for the Lafayette Police, tweeted out that since the storm started on Wednesday, troopers at the Lafayette Post have been busy.
According to Piers, the troopers have responded to 53 crashes, 82 slide-offs, and 113 other motorists that needed assistance.
“Please remember to slow down and be cautious if you have to be on the road today.”
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Governor Kathy Hochul: ‘Stay Off The Roads’
In a Friday morning briefing, Gov. Hochul pleaded for New Yorkers to stay home.
“We have snow, we have freezing rain, we have sleet, we have icy roads,” she said.
The biggest concern of those is ice, Hochul said, because the applied salt on the roads before the storm was washed away by rain.
“Our best advice is just to stay off the roads,” the governor said. “They’re absolutely hazardous.”
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American Airlines travelers stuck in Dallas Airport
For the second night in a row, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport officials accommodated travelers who had to stay overnight at the American Airlines hub on Wednesday due to cancellations.
The airport handed out pillows, blankets, diapers, and infant formula to an estimated 700 travelers stuck at the airport during the storm, according to the Associated Press.
Dallas Love Field also put up cots for about 20 people expected to stay at the airport overnight on Thursday.
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Pittsburgh rail service halted
Commuter rail service in the Pittsburgh area had to stop after a power line near the light rail center fell and trapped a number of cars at the Port Authority of Allegheny County rail yard.
“With temperatures not expected to rise much throughout the day, quick repairs and restoration of the rail system will be difficult but our crews are out there trying as hard as they can,” the port authority tweeted.
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Pittsburgh rail service halted
Commuter rail service in the Pittsburgh area had to stop after a power line near the light rail center fell and trapped a number of cars at the Port Authority of Allegheny County rail yard.
“With temperatures not expected to rise much throughout the day, quick repairs and restoration of the rail system will be difficult but our crews are out there trying as hard as they can,” the port authority tweeted.
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Memphis outages
Icey conditions took out trees and power lines in Memphis, Tennessee on Thursday evening.
City officials said it could take days for power to be restored to the almost 125,000 homes and businesses that lost power from the storm.
Robert Knecht, Memphis’ public works director, said that there were 225 downed trees on city streets and that crews were working 16-hour shifts to clear them.
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Trapped on a Texas highway
Drivers have been trapped in their cars for over 12 hours as the major Texas interstate I-10 has car-to-car traffic after multiple crashes in subfreezing temperatures.
The freeway became blocked late Thursday night and remained closed Friday morning, according to KENS-TV.
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Three killed in the storm
Three people have been killed by Winter Storm Landon, according to The Weather Channel.
One person in Hale County, Alabama was killed by the tornado that struck the area on Thursday afternoon.
A driver of an 18-wheeler was killed in a Thursday night weather-related crash.
One death on Wednesday was caused by a weather-related accident in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
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What is a tornado warning?
A tornado warning is issued by local NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Office meteorologists in an area where a tornado has been spotted.
Tornado warnings cover smaller areas, as they are only implemented in the actual case of severe weather.
A tornado warning indicates serious danger for those who are in the path of said tornado.
When one is made aware of a tornado warning, they should seek shelter immediately.
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What is a tornado watch?
A tornado watch is typically issued hours in advance of an actual tornado. It means that weather conditions are favorable for a tornado to form, but one hasn’t been spotted yet.
The NOAA Storm Prediction Center issues a tornado watch during times when the weather conditions show a possibility of severe weather.
A tornado watch can cover part of a state or several states, depending on the severity of the weather.
One should be prepared to act while a watch is in progress, but it doesn’t always mean severe weather is coming.
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Severe tornado damage in Alabama
In Hale County, Alabama, at least four were injured following a tornado.
Local station WVTM13 reports four were injured at a location on Highway 30, and homes along Highway 14 at Coleman Road were badly damaged.
