Millions hunkered down for icy conditions expected to last through the weekend from Texas to Ohio to Tennessee as a cold snap covered much of the nation, knocking out power and making roads treacherous Saturday.
Face-stinging sleet, thick snow and blustery winds led to slick road conditions, school closures and event cancellations as the wintry blast dropped temperatures to freezing and below overnight Saturday.
A treacherous section of icy Interstate 35 about 50 miles north of Dallas has been closed intermittently for as long as five hours as tractor-trailers were unable to climb a hill and then clog the busy highway, Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman Michelle Releford said Saturday. The backup can extend for miles.
Three traffic-related deaths were reported, one in Arlington and two in Oklahoma.
And about 117,000 customers in the Dallas area were without power Saturday morning and more than 350 departing flights from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport had been cancelled in the morning, the airport said. About 3,330 passengers had stayed overnight in the terminals.
In California, four people died of hypothermia in the San Francisco Bay Area while the region was gripped by freezing temperatures.
Freezing rain and sleet are likely again Saturday night in Memphis, Nashville and other areas of Tennessee before the storm starts surging northeast.
"It looks like we're going to be stuck with this for one, two, maybe three days," said Memphis attorney Sam Chafetz, who was going home early to enjoy some bourbon-soaked sweet potatoes left over from Thanksgiving.
"I'm not afraid of the ice and snow, I'm afraid of the other drivers who don't know how to drive in it," Chafetz said.
Virginia officials warned residents of a major ice storm likely to take shape Sunday, resulting in power outages and hazards on the roads.
State Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Laura Southard said the storm had the potential to be a "historic ice event."
"This forecast is very concerning to us," Southard said. "I've worked multiple disasters, but I've never worked an ice storm with a forecast like this."
The weather forced the cancellation of Sunday's Dallas Marathon, which was expected to draw 25,000 runners, some of whom had trained for months.
Meanwhile, around 7 inches of snow fell in northeast Arkansas and the Missouri boot heel, according to the National Weather Service in Memphis. Ice accumulated on trees and power lines in Memphis and the rest of West Tennessee after layers of sleet fell throughout the region Friday. The weather service says 8 to 9 inches fell in parts of southern Indiana.
The storm dumped a foot of snow and more in some areas of Illinois, with police scrambling to respond to dozens of accidents and forced scores of schools to remain closed.
Western and central Kentucky were under winter storm warnings slated to last through early Saturday. With warmer temperatures expected in eastern Kentucky, forecasters issued a flood watch into Saturday morning.
Looking ahead, the National Weather Service says a wind chill advisory is in effect for parts of northeast Arkansas and the Missouri boot heel. Forecasters say wind chill readings between zero and minus-5 degrees may occur.
Delivery delays may occur in areas where the storm caused unsafe driving and flying conditions, said Scott Fielder, a spokesman for FedEx, which has its worldwide hub in Memphis.
Ice had built up on the windshields and roofs of parked cars throughout Memphis into Saturday. Law enforcement reported an increase in traffic crashes, and scattered power outages affected more than 3,000 people, emergency and utility officials said.
Residents were told to prepare for a few days without power, prompting them to rush to stores to stock up on groceries, buy electricity generators and gas up their cars. Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell reminded residents to check on family and friends who are elderly, disabled or live alone.
In Nashville, organizers canceled the Christmas parade. The annual St. Jude Memphis Marathon, scheduled for Saturday, was canceled as well.
Sleet also fell in Dyer County, Tenn., where one shelter was on standby and farmers worked to protect crops and livestock.
"We're still getting a lot of sleet falling and roads are slushy and kind of slick," said James Medling, emergency management director for Dyer County.
Storms this week had already dumped 1 to 2 feet of snow in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin and draped many communities in skin-stinging cold. The temperature in parts of North Dakota on Thursday was a few degrees below zero, but wind chill pushed it to nearly 40 below.
据美国媒体12月8日报道，本周末，寒潮侵袭美国大部分地区，从得克萨斯州、俄亥俄州到田纳西州，多地迎来暴雪降温天气，导致电力中断、交通事故发生率显著上升。
当地时间6日夜晚至7日凌晨，美国多地出现雨夹雪、大雪和强风天气，气温降至冰点，多所学校关闭、不少大型活动取消。
得克萨斯州交通运输部发言人米歇尔·瑞勒福特7 日通报称，美国35号州际公路位于该州达拉斯市以北路段当天间断性关闭近5个小时，原因是路面湿滑致使几辆牵引式挂车无法爬坡进而阻塞交通，汽车长龙一度 达到数英里长。此外，当天路面状况糟糕，马萨诸塞州阿灵顿和俄克拉荷马州还发生了几起交通事故，造成3人死亡。
受极端天气影响，达拉斯市7日上午发生大面积断电、影响约11.7万名用户，达拉斯—沃斯堡国际机场超过350个离港航班取消，3300余名乘客不得不滞留在机场航站内过夜。
而在加利福尼亚州，旧金山湾区7日气温骤降陷入严寒，致使4人因体温过低丧生。气象部门称，7日晚随着冷空气向东北部转移，田纳西州首府纳什维尔、孟菲斯市以及其他地区再次出现雨夹雪和冻雨。
“看上去，近几天内天气状况不会改善。”孟菲斯市居民萨姆·查菲茨说，“我并不害怕下雪结冰，但我担心有些司机不知道如何在这种严寒天气中开车。”
美国联邦快递（FedEx）发言人斯科特·菲尔德表示，该公司的全球运转中心设在孟菲斯市，当地的路面和空中交通状况均因极端严寒天气恶化，所以公司负责运转的货品会出现延迟。孟菲斯市的执法部门也报告称，当地的交通事故发生率明显上升。
弗吉尼亚州应急管理部门发言人劳拉·索瑟德表 示，一场冰暴将在当地时间8日侵袭弗吉尼亚州，该州居民需做好准备应对电力中断和路面结冰等突发状况。“有关这场冰暴的预测令我们感到非常担忧，我经历过 许多自然灾害，但是从未见过被预测得如此可怕的冰暴。”索瑟德说，“它有可能成为一场‘世纪冰暴’。”受此影响，原定于8日举行的达拉斯马拉松比赛取消。 这场赛事预计会吸引2.5万人前来参赛。
与此同时，根据美国国家气象局提供的数据，阿肯色州东北部及其毗邻的密苏里州东南部降雪已达7英寸（约合17.8厘米），而在印第安纳州南部，部分地区的降雪更是达到8至9英寸（约合20.3至22.8厘米）。
美国国家气象局称，未来几天，阿肯色州东北部和密苏里州东南部将受寒流侵袭，气温可能会骤降至零下。