Winter storm causes widespread power outages in Texas and may bring blizzard conditions to central U.S., elevate wildfire risk in southern states
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for eastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi through 7pm central time on Tuesday, forcing Mardi Gras parades in Jefferson Parish, La. to be cancelled and celebrations in New Orleans to be altered.
Meanwhile, widespread power outages in North Texas left at least 400,000 customers without power Tuesday morning. High winds are expected to continue in various parts of the Great Plains, including Kansas.
The NWS says a major winter storm in the central United States will bring blizzard conditions and severe weather starting Tuesday through the middle of this week.
'A swath of 4 to 8 inches along with very strong winds will setup from the Central High Plains to the Upper Midwest resulting in a vast area with blizzard conditions. Local max snow totals may approach 1 foot,' the NWS said in its latest update.
Blizzard conditions are expected in parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin as the system moves through the central Plains on Tuesday, arrives in the Midwest by Tuesday night and makes its way across the Great Lakes region on Wednesday. Wind gusts as high as 70 mph in the central Plains are forecast for Tuesday, making travel difficult in many areas, the NWS said. The upper Midwest is expected to be hit with 50 mph wind gusts beginning Tuesday night.
'Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle,' meteorologists said in an alert.
Parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, South Dakota and Wisconsin are all forecast to see some snowfall as the storm pushes through. While the heaviest totals are expected in the Rocky Mountains, states like Wisconsin could see as much as 10 inches.
'There is some uncertainty about how long that blowing snow will linger after the falling snow has ended,' NWS meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff told Radio Iowa. 'So anyone who's out and about on Wednesday will definitely want to take it easy and check road conditions before they head out.'
The impacts of the massive storm system are also already extending to other parts of the country, as seen with the tornado watch issued for eastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi Tuesday as well as the widespread power outages in North Texas.
'Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles," said the NWS office in Dodge City, Kan., in a Tuesday update.
Despite the snow and rain that the system will bring across the central U.S., states like Texas will see an increased risk of wildfires from the storm thanks to a combination of high winds, low humidity and warm temperatures. Along with high wind warnings, the NWS posted red flag warnings in Texas and portions of Tennessee. Red flag warnings indicate that conditions are favorable for wildfires.
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