Extremely cold temperatures in the United States have so far claimed two lives in Texas and have led to the cancellation of more than 1,700 flights nationwide, according to authorities.
Emergency services responded to hundreds of car crashes in the state of Texas, and Republican Governor Greg Abbott urged people to stay off highways.
For now, there is word of a death in Austin, Tuesday at dawn, in a pile-up, and of another fatality, a 45-year-old man, on Monday, on a road near Dallas, according to Arlington Police.
More than 900 flights to or from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and more than 250 flights to or from Dallas Love Field Airport were canceled or delayed on Tuesday, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines canceled more than 500 flights and delayed more than 350 on Tuesday, FlightAware reported.
Also in the state of Tennessee, several schools in Memphis-Shelby County today announced the cancellation of classes due to dangerous traffic conditions.
In Arkansas, Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency due to an ice storm on Tuesday. Sanders cited the “probability that numerous power lines will be out of order”.
The storm started Monday and is expected to continue to affect weather today in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee, according to the U.S. Weather Service.
Source: DN
