A winter storm is expected to cause temperatures to plummet to dangerously low levels over the next few days. Many have described memories of the deadly winter storm in 2021 as a haunting reminder of the potentially lethal consequences of such severe weather.
As Blaise Gainey with The Texas Newsroom reports, Governor Greg Abbott has reassured the public that Texas is ready for the approaching winter storm. At a news briefing on Wednesday, the governor said, “Obviously, the lives of our fellow Texans are by far the most important thing.”
Deadly 2021 Winter Storm
The official death toll from the 2021 Texas power crisis during Winter Storm Uri, [which left 4.5 million homes and businesses without power for days], stands at 246 people, spanning 77 counties. The Texas Department of State Health Services later disclosed that nearly two-thirds of the deaths were due to hypothermia.
A number of researchers have called the official death toll a severe undercount. According a Texas Standard report in August 2022, and to a BuzzFeed News analysis of the deaths in May 2021, Ariel Karlinsky, a member of the World Health Organization’s technical advisory group on COVID-19 mortality, assigning the total of 814 deaths as a more accurate accounting of the deaths. Karlinsky concluded, “The graveyard doesn’t lie.”
Texas Winter Storm
During the Wednesday briefing, Abbott explained that crews are directing resources and response plans are in place, concentrating on portions of North Texas. He said part of that effort involves pretreating roads and bridges by crews with the Texas Department of Transportation.
This approaching storm is also seen as a test of the state’s power grid, which Abbott addressed. “If there is a loss of power, there's not it's not going to be because of the power grid. It's going to be because of some impact on a local power line and that your local power provider is going to be responsible for addressing.”
According to the National Weather Service, areas included in the winter storm warning can expect snow accumulations of 2-5 inches, along with a mix of snow and sleep(up to 2”) and ice (0.91-.10”) in the advisory area. [See map above]
Arkansas Winter Storm
In Arkansas, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock, Arkansas, reports: Portions of northern, western, and central Arkansas (including the Ozark/Ouachita Mountains) are expected to receive the greatest snowfall accumulations (6 to 8 inches). A large portion of the state will have impactful snowfall.
Uncertainties remain on the exact placement of greatest totals, including enhanced totals from banding. Lower snow accumulations are expected in southern Arkansas, from Texarkana to El Dorado to Monticello, due to more wintry mix and freezing rain.
