1 February 2023
(WGHP) – An ice storm is unfolding across portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee. Winter Storm Warnings and Ice Storm Warnings remain in place until Thursday morning.
Freezing rain and sleet began across several cities in the Lone Star State and the Sooner State on Monday and a second round of wintry precipitation began early Wednesday morning.
Part of the reason for this winter storm was a cold front that stalled off the Texas coast, allowing cold air to filter through the state which dropped temperatures to below-normal and pumped moisture in from the Gulf of Mexico.
By Thursday night, several cities could receive near or above half an inch of ice accumulation. For reference, every quarter inch of ice can add approximately 500 pounds of weight to a powerline span.
Power outages are ongoing and expected to continue as freezing rain and sleet continue to fall. As of Wednesday at 12 p.m., over 280,000 customers in Texas are without power.
The cold front that stalled off the Texas coast is the same stationary front that has been bringing rounds of rainfall to the Piedmont Triad over the last few days.
However, unlike Texas, the original cold front never quite made it into our area resulting in a soggy end to January and start to February.
The same stationary front that is bringing freezing rain to Texas and Oklahoma Wednesday will eventually track further east and result in another round of rainfall in the Piedmont Triad.
Rain fell Wednesday morning, but we’ll continue to see a brief break from the rainfall into Wednesday night.
Our next round of rain arrives very early Thursday morning and continues off and on throughout the day Thursday.
Since rain began on Sunday, 0.33 inches of rain have been recorded at the Piedmont Triad International Airport.
With another round of rainfall on the way, we can expect an additional 0.25 inches to 1 inch (including Wednesday and Thursday) with the higher totals likely falling in Davidson, Randolph, Chatham, and Montgomery counties.
The good news? We won’t be worried about an ice storm in North Carolina, just another soggy day since temperatures will remain above freezing.
Plus, sunshine returns on Friday and sticks around into the start of the weekend!