By MATT CURRY
Associated Press Writer
DALLAS (AP)--As
one windy snowstorm raced out of the Midwest and Northeast, sleet
and freezing rain iced up highways and runways across the South,
causing hundreds of wrecks and canceled flights.
In Texas,
roads were icy and treacherous Tuesday night as far south as Del
Rio and Victoria, encompassing all but the state's southern tip.
At least one traffic death was blamed on the storm.
"People are
slipping and sliding,'' said Janell Jones, a truck stop cashier
in Mesquite, Texas. "There are some truckers that are stranded,
but most are smart enough to park the things.''
The full effect
of the wintry blast wasn't expected to be felt until rush hour
Wednesday morning, when commuters headed to work.
American Airlines
canceled 180 Wednesday flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International
Airport, spokeswoman Sonya Whitemon said. Southwest Airlines canceled
70 to 80 flights late Tuesday out of Dallas' Love Field, said
spokeswoman Kristin Nelson.
Stranded at
Dallas-Fort Worth, Kathleen Mitchell claimed a cot set up Tuesday
night for would-be travelers and contemplated the final exams
she was missing at LeTourneau University in Longview.
"Hopefully
they'll let me reschedule but if not, I'll have to scrap the whole
semester,'' she said. "Most of my books are in my luggage, and
they won't let us have that, so I really can't even study.''
State Transportation
Department crews sprayed ice-preventing chemicals on major freeways
in Houston. As much as 4 inches of snow could accumulate north
of Dallas, said Steve Fano, meteorologist with the National Weather
Service.
"You may
have an inch of snow or ice fall on the ground, then freezing
rain on top of it, which could make traveling very treacherous,''
he said.
Snow blanketed
northern Arkansas overnight, while sleet and freezing rain fell
on the central and southern portions of the state. As much as
an inch of ice was forecast for Little Rock, Ark.
Eight inches
of snow was forecast for Missouri.
The bitter
cold reached far south. Tulsa, Okla., reached just 18 degrees
Tuesday. Fargo, N.D., had a high temperature of minus 5 degrees,
while the mercury in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin hovered
around zero.
Meanwhile,
clear skies helped the Midwest recover somewhat from Monday's
storm, which dumped more than a foot of snow in some areas.
"We've
got all of our rec centers, our health facilities, all of our
municipal offices open,'' said Michelle Zdrodowski, spokeswoman
for Detroit's mayor. "The sun is helping. As we lay the salt
down, it helps to clear things up.''
Northwest
Airlines was returning to normal after canceling 125 flights Tuesday
at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, said spokesman Matt Friedman.
High winds
knocked out power to more than 300,000 homes and businesses in
Ohio, where gusts reached 80 mph. More than 250,000 customers
lost electricity in Pennsylvania, and thousands more had no power
in West Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
In Pennsylvania,
falling trees killed two people. In New York City, a construction
sign fell on a school bus. Fifteen children were taken to a hospital,
but none was seriously hurt.
Strong wind
gusts were blamed for 160 flight cancellations at La Guardia airport
in New York, and delays were reported in Boston and Newark.
"Hey,
what are you gonna do about it?'' said businessman Ed Lynch, whose
flight to New York never left Washington. "I'll tell you one
thing: I'd rather be sitting here than flipped over at La Guardia.''
|
