Deadly Ice Storm Wreaks Havoc Across Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee

U.S. and Texas state flags fly over a Nissan car dealership as light traffic moves through snow and ice on U.S. Route 183 in Irving, Texas, on Feb. 3, 2022. John Moore/Getty Images

At least eight deaths are being blamed on the crippling ice storm that has wreaked havoc across the southern Plains and mid-South this week.

On Thursday, hundreds of thousands were without power in parts of Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Freezing conditions have caused more flight cancelations and delays, and road conditions remain treacherous for the fourth day in a row.

Pedestrians walk across icy roads as a cold weather front moves through Dallas on Jan. 31, 2023. Shelby Tauber/Reuters

Hazardous Road Conditions

On Thursday, road conditions started to improve, but the Texas Department of Transportation warned drivers to remain cautious.

“Conditions are improving out there as temperatures are set to go above freezing all across Texas today. But roads are still wet with possible icy spots out there. So please slow down, increase following distance and check drivetexas.org for latest conditions,” the agency wrote on Twitter.

The icy roads have already caused hundreds of accidents that have led to eight known deaths in the region.

In Arlington, Texas, one man was killed when he lost control of his vehicle on Monday while driving across an overpass. Witnesses said the vehicle hit a guardrail, went “airborne,” and slid down an embankment, KDFW News reported. The driver was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

An 18-year-old high school student was killed in an early morning rollover crash on Tuesday in Wolfforth, about 12 miles south of Lubbock, Texas, according to a local news outlet. The Texas Department of Public Safety said the driver lost control after hitting an icy patch on an overpass.

Also on Tuesday, three people were killed in a crash in Brownwood, about 40 miles southwest of Lubbock.

In Austin, dangerous road conditions led to a 10-car pile-up involving a pedestrian who died at the scene, KXAN News reported.

Later the same day, a woman was killed in the town of West, Texas, as a result of a chain reaction collision when a semitrailer crashed into a pickup truck and then slid into a small sedan, according to KWTX News. The 21-year-old driver of the sedan was killed when her vehicle became wedged under the semitrailer.

On Monday, a flatbed truck hauling equipment in Northwest Arkansas lost control and flipped, killing the driver, a local newspaper reported.

An icy mix covers Highway 114 in Roanoke, Texas, on Jan. 30, 2023. Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via AP

1,000s of Flight Cancellations, Delays

More than 6,000 flight cancellations left travelers stranded across the country this week, according to FlightAware.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas Love Field Airport, and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport are among the hardest-hit travel hubs.

More than half of the cancellations this week were into and out of Dallas-Fort Worth, and American Airlines is headquartered near the airport.

On Thursday, Dallas-Fort Worth experienced at least 517 flight cancellations and more than 150 delays. This was an improvement over Wednesday, which saw 1,342 cancellations and 179 delays.

Another 34 flights were canceled and at least 57 were delayed at Dallas Love Field Airport, where Southwest Airlines is headquartered. Additionally, at least 74 flights were canceled and more than 70 others were delayed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

An American Airlines aircraft undergoes de-icing procedures at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas on Jan. 30, 2023. Lola Gomez/The Dallas Morning News via AP

Power Outages

The Texas power grid is holding up, but weather-related issues have left more than 430,000 electricity customers in Texas without power on Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us.

More than 175,000 electricity customers in Travis County, which encompasses Austin, are experiencing power outages caused by ice accumulation of up to a half inch on utility poles and tree limbs, Austin Energy said in a news release.

The company said its crews are working to restore the damaged lines and it expects to have power fully restored to affected homes and businesses by Friday.

Other states are also reporting widespread outages.

At about 2 p.m. Central time, Arkansas reported more than 82,000 power outages, Mississippi reported more than 23,000 outages, and Tennessee reported about 17,000.

Temperatures are expected to begin warming across the region this weekend.