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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 2 February 2022
Winter storm to bring snow, ice across wide swath of U.S.

By PAUL J. WEBER of session this week as the
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A central part of the state
huge swath of the U.S. prepares for heavy snow,
braced Tuesday for a ma- ice and high wind gusts in
jor winter storm that was the region.
expected to dump heavy The National Weather Ser-
snow in the Rockies, ice vice said 6 to 12 inches (15
highways, disrupt travel to 30 centimeters) of snow
across the Midwest and was expected by Thurs-
plunge temperatures be- day morning in parts of the
low freezing in Texas. Rockies and Midwest, while
Airlines had canceled more heavy ice is likely from Tex-
than 800 flights in the U.S. as through the Ohio Valley.
scheduled for Wednesday, On Wednesday and Thurs-
the flight tracking service day, the weather service
FlightAware.com showed, said 8 to 14 inches (20 to 36
including many in St. Louis centimeters) of snow was
and Chicago. possible in parts of Michi-
The approaching blast of gan, including Detroit. From
winter weather had many Wednesday through Friday
Texas residents on alert morning, 9 to 14 inches (23
nearly a year after a cata- to 36 centimeters) of snow
strophic freeze that buck- City of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation employees load a salt truck at a city salt was forecast in northwest-
led the state's power grid dome in anticipation of a winter storm Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Chicago. ern Ohio.
and knocked power out for Associated Press In Tulsa, Oklahoma, where
days, causing hundreds of up to 7 inches (18 centi-
deaths in one of the worst entire state." been if we get a repeat of than 60% of its scheduled meters) of snow and sleet
blackouts in U.S. history. In November, Abbott had, last year, would the power departures for Wednesday are forecast but little ice,
But the forecast this week in fact, made a guaran- stay on? And this is no- canceled. Chicago O'Hare emergency management
— which includes freezing tee ahead of winter: "I can where near a repeat of last International Airport can- director Joe Kralicek said
rain and potentially snow guarantee the lights will year," said Doug Lewin, an celed about 90 of its de- the event is not expected
around Dallas and Fort stay on," he told Austin tele- energy consultant in Austin parting flights, and airports to cause large-scale power
Worth— does not call for vision station KTBC. who has criticized Texas' re- in Kansas City and Detroit outages based on an ice
the same prolonged and Abbott, whose handling sponse to the blackouts as were also canceling more index used by the National
frigid temperatures like the of last year's blackouts is a insufficient. flights than usual. Weather Service.
February 2021 storm. top line of attack for Dem- Winter storm watches and During the multiday storm "We could see some power
"No one can guarantee ocrats as the Republican warnings covered a wide this week, some areas may outages, however, it's also
that there won't be any" seeks a third term in 2022, swath of the country from see a mix of rain and freez- suggesting that they be
outages caused by de- said thousands of miles of El Paso, Texas, through the ing rain before it changes limited in scope and nature
mand on the grid, Texas roads in Texas will become Midwest and parts of the to snow. and very short term in dura-
Gov. Greg Abbott said "extraordinarily dangerous" Northeast to Burlington, "It will be a very messy sys- tion," Kralicek said.
during a briefing in Austin, over the coming days. But Vermont. The storm follows tem and will make travel Becky Gligo, director of
where state officials de- he said the state's power a vicious nor'easter that very difficult," said Marty the nonprofit Housing Solu-
fended their readiness for grid had enough capac- brought blizzard conditions Rausch, a meteorologist tions in Tulsa said teams are
the days ahead. "But what ity to handle the expected to many parts of the East with the National Weather working to move homeless
we will work to achieve, surge in demand this week Coast. Service in College Park, people into shelters ahead
and what we're prepared once temperatures plum- Canceled flights began to Maryland. of overnight lows that are
to achieve is that power is met. mount Tuesday, with St. Lou- Illinois lawmakers canceled expected to drop into sin-
going to stay on across the "The question has always is leading the list with more their three scheduled days gle digits by Friday night.q

U.S. road deaths rise at record pace as

risky driving persists

By HOPE YEN the highest percentage in- Idaho, Nevada and Texas,
WASHINGTON (AP) — crease over a nine-month and was flat in two states.
The number of U.S. traffic period since the Transpor- The numbers declined in
deaths surged in the first tation Department began 10 states and the District of
nine months of 2021 to recording fatal crash data Columbia.
31,720, the government in 1975. NHTSA also plans to move
reported Tuesday, keep- The tally of 31,720 deaths forward on rulemaking to
ing up a record pace of was the highest nine-month require automatic emer-
increased dangerous driv- figure since 2006. gency braking in all new
ing during the coronavirus Federal data from the de- passenger vehicles, and
pandemic. partment's National High- set new standards on car
The estimated figure of way Traffic Safety Adminis- safety performance by em-
Authorities get set to tow a vehicle involved a six-car crash at people dying in motor vehi- tration showed that traffic phasizing crash-avoidance
the scene of a fatal crash on West Cheyenne Avenue in North cle crashes from January to fatalities increased during features such as lane-
Las Vegas, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022. September 2021 was 12% the nine-month period in keeping assistance, though
Associated Press
higher than the same pe- 38 states, led by those in no firm deadlines were set
riod in 2020. That represents the West and South such as for action.q