|
From 1170KFAQ.com News
Meteorologists predicted the slow-moving storm would glaze highways in the East with ice through Christmas night and that gusty thunderstorms would hamper the South. An ice storm warning was issued for parts of West Virginia and the Blue Ridge mountains in North Carolina and Virginia, while a wind chill advisory cautioned of temperatures as low as 30 below zero in Montana. The National Weather Service warned that blizzards would hit parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin on Christmas Day and into the evening. Slippery roads have been blamed for at least 18 deaths this week as the storm moved east across the country from the Southwest. Driving became so treacherous that authorities closed interstates in Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas to prevent further collisions. The National Weather Service said the storm posed a threat to life and property. Officials warned travelers to stay home and pack emergency kits if they had to set out. Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry declared a state of emergency. Jonathan Cannon was spending Thursday night at a Baptist church in Goldsby, Okla. after being stuck for several hours on Interstate 35. He had left Sherman, Texas, a little after noon hoping to join his wife in Edmond, Okla. - a trip that usually takes about three hours. Cannon said about 200 people - plus the dogs many travelers had with them in their cars - were in the church Thursday night, with more possibly on the way. He wasn't sure if he would be able to finish his journey on Friday. "This is mine and my wife's first Christmas together, so she's not very excited," he said. About 100 passengers and the same number of workers were stuck at Oklahoma's largest airport, which closed Thursday afternoon after several inches of snow clogged runways. At least 70 flights were canceled at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. Director Mark Kranenburg told The Oklahoman that the airport re-opened Friday morning, with one of three runways operational, though many flights remained delayed or canceled. Robert Smith of Denver was forced to cancel plans to fly home on Christmas Eve after visiting family members and friends in Oklahoma City. Smith said he was accustomed to snowstorms - and that none had ever hampered his travel plans. "We are going to wait it out," he said. "We went to the grocery store to get stuff. We've got the generators ready just in case we need to use them." Get the latest news around the clock on Talk Radio 1170 KFAQ and http://1170KFAQ.com |
