The mid-February winter storm that is affecting as many as 200 million Americans is not letting up just yet.
The weather has virtually paralyzed parts of Texas and posed major travel problems throughout the weekend because of the relentless heavy snow and ice.
Pileups on roadways were common on Sunday as travelers battled the elements.
Monday morning, residents across 2,000 miles in 25 states were under storm warnings or weather advisories, according to the National Weather Service, which added the “polar plunge” includes “some February and even all-time low temperature records in jeopardy.”
A USA Today story said power went out for more than 2.7 million Texans as of 10 a.m. local time, according to poweroutage.us, a utility tracking site.
The immediate outlook isn’t encouraging. Through Tuesday, the National Weather Service expects 8 to 12 inches of snow in central Oklahoma, and up 8 inches from eastern Texas to the Ohio Valley.
Sunday, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency in all 77 counties because of the weather conditions.
Stitt and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson activated National Guard units to help rescuing stranded drivers, among other duties.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that Texas “is facing a very dangerous winter storm” over the coming days that will “make movement virtually impossible.”
Sub-zero temperatures in north Texas kept people in the deep freeze as of Monday morning. Amarillo checked in at minus seven degrees, according to WeatherWX.com.
In Dallas, the mercury reached only 10 degrees by mid-morning, with Houston at 20 degrees.
In Texas, the storm could be “once in a generation” owing to the record cold conditions, AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said in the USA Today story Monday.
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