US winter storm returns: 40 million people affected and nearly 1,000 flights canceled
News from the Financial Associated Press, February 1 (Editor Zhao Hao)On Tuesday (January 31), local time, the National Weather Service warned that a wide-ranging and dangerous winter storm has appeared in parts of the central and southern United States.
The weather service added that sleet and freezing rain had begun in north and central Texas and could continue at least until Thursday morning local time, making road conditions more dangerous as the day progressed. In addition to affecting traffic, the freeze could also cause power outages.
(Source: National Weather Service) There were also signs that sleet, freezing rain and ice storms were moving north to other states, closing roads and schools in some areas. From New Mexico to West Virginia, more than 40 million people received winter weather warnings of various forms, including icy roads.
In a few days, Texas Governor Abbott said that he is mobilizing resources in several states to prepare for the storm, so as to avoid repeating the tragedy of the “once-in-a-hundred-year fatal blizzard” two years ago. In February 2021, deadly winter storms killed hundreds and left 4.5 million without power.
It has been reported that hundreds of traffic accidents have occurred in Texas this week, and one person has been confirmed dead in a 10-vehicle collision in Austin. Abbott wrote in a statement that everyone needs to be vigilant about the weather, check road conditions at DriveTexas.org and follow the guidance of local officials before traveling.
Oil and gas producers in Texas were also told on Monday to secure their equipment and facilities ahead of dangerous winter weather. Due to the uncertainty of refining capacity, U.S. RBOB gasoline and heating oil futures prices both rose by more than 2%.
According to data from the flight tracking website flightaware, nearly 1,000 flights in the United States have been canceled due to the extreme weather brought by the winter storm, including 742 flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Because the airport is home to the headquarters of American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, the impact of these two airlines is higher. As of early Tuesday, Southwest has canceled 512 flights and delayed more than 263; American has canceled 427 flights and delayed 329.
It is worth mentioning that the United States also encountered a winter storm at the end of last year, which once caused power outages for millions of users in the United States. At that time, a large number of domestic and international flights in the United States were also canceled or delayed, seriously affecting passenger travel arrangements.
