According to the National Weather Service, there will be potentially dangerous conditions in areas where winter weather is usually a once-in-a-generation event, as a highly unusual southern winter storm is set to bring icy conditions all the way down to the Gulf Coast Thursday night.
Travel could be difficult due to the winter storm.
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Since 1898, there have only been two measurable snows in the cities of Corpus Christi and Brownsville.
The main threat in the area is expected to be sleet and freezing rain, which will likely glaze roads overnight, making travel "very hazardous or impossible" in south Texas, according to the National Weather Service.
Winter weather advisories are in effect farther east along the Gulf Coast, including southeast Louisiana, coastal Mississippi, coastal Alabama and even the extreme western portion of the Florida Panhandle, where hazardous road conditions are also possible due to ice.
The biggest impacts from the winter storm will likely be in coastal areas of the Carolinas, according to the National Weather Service, with the system coming just over a week after western areas of the Carolinas bore the brunt of a winter storm that swept through much of the eastern United States.
The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for coastal areas of southern North Carolina and northern South Carolina, where freezing rain could cause up to half an inch of ice to accumulate.
The conditions are caused by an air mass dipping far to the south which will interact with areas of low pressure that bring precipitation.
The Newport/ Morehead City, North Carolina, National Weather Service office said in a bulletin that commerce will likely be severely impacted. In case of an emergency, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle.
What to watch for.
Last February's devastating winter storm caused widespread power failures in Texas, but this winter's weather is not expected to cause the same problems. According to the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas, there are over 300 electric generation units and transmission facilities that have passed new weatherization standards.
There is a key background.
The South is vulnerable to winter storms due to infrastructure that is not designed to handle icy and cold conditions. Millions of people in Texas were left without power or access to heat last year after the state's electricity generation systems froze in the extreme cold, while travel was crippled for days in the Southeast. Thursday night's winter storm is not expected to be as extreme as last year's, but only a small amount of icing can cause headaches in the region. In February of last year, a surprise freezing rain event in New Orleans during morning rush hour caused crashes on the roads despite only a small amount of precipitation falling.
Surprising fact.
The eastern U.S. has been 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 According to the Climate Prediction Center, temperatures are expected to remain below average across the East for at least the next week.
These States could be the hardest hit by a major winter storm.
The memories of last year's power grid failure will be brought back by a winter storm.
Officials don't know when power will be back in Texas.
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