American South Hit by Massive Ice Storm
Wednesday, February 12th, 2014February 12, 2014
Much of the southern United States, from East Texas to the Atlantic Coast, is being encased in ice. Moving west to east, the storm–which meteorologists characterize as possibly historic in scope–is blanketing large swaths of the South. “There is no doubt that this is one of Mother Nature’s worst kinds of storms . . .” Georgia Governor Nathan Deal stated in a public announcement. “We’re not kidding. We’re not crying wolf.”
The ice storm came in two waves. The first began yesterday, when snow and ice covered parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The second wave began early this morning. A mix of freezing rain and sleet, driven by high winds, quickly glazed roads, trees, and electric power lines.
Rain freezes into ice when the air temperature above the ground exceeds 32 °F (0 °C), the freezing point of water. At the same time, the ground and the thin layer of air above it must be colder than 32 °F. Under these conditions, precipitation from a winter storm can form as snow in the freezing temperatures high in the clouds. The snow falls into the warmer air layer below. There, it melts into rain. Upon reaching ground level, the rain refreezes into ice that coats all solid surfaces.
As the freezing rain continues throughout today, the ice will build up, to an estimated thickness of 1 inch (2.5 centimeters). The weight of an inch of ice encircling tree limbs and power lines is enormous. The weight pulls down branches and power lines, creating an extremely dangerous situation. The power lines, which remain live, fall into the street below, shooting sparks as they snap across the pavement like a cracking whip. Thousands of households are already without electric power across Georgia and South Carolina.
So far, six traffic-related deaths have been attributed to the storm–four in Texas and two in Mississippi–and the governors of eight states have declared states of emergency. More than 2,000 flights have been cancelled at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, the nation’s busiest airport. Amtrak has announced that southbound trains out of New York City and Washington, D.C., have been cancelled. Meteorologists predict that the storm will continue in the South through tomorrow. It will then head northward into the Northeast.
In January 2000, parts of the southeastern United States were engulfed by a similar ice storm. Areas of northern Georgia and western South Carolina had more than 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain with temperatures below freezing. In the Atlanta area, more than 500,000 utility customers lost power because of the storm.