Travel conditions ease after freezing rain
Weather conditions for one of the busiest travel days of the year eased Sunday after heavy rain in Texas and icy roads north of there claimed 14 lives during the holiday weekend.
But a band of rain stretching from Tennessee into Arkansas, Oklahoma and north Texas persisted Sunday, raising concerns about delays as people make their way home after Thanksgiving.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency for all 77 Oklahoma counties because of the winter storm and flooding. Fallin's office said nearly 100,000 homes were still without power Sunday afternoon as a result of freezing rain, ice and sleet.
Power was out to 10,000 in Kansas from earlier freezing rain, according to the Associated Press and Accuweather. But temperatures edged higher Sunday, offering potential relief in both states, said Dan Pydnowski, senior meteorologist with Accuweather.
Rains were continuing in North Texas where waterways were already swollen and flood watches remain in effect, the AP reported.
Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport was the only ma- jor air-travel hub reporting delays Sunday, with travel times taking an additional 15 minutes. Rain hammering north Texas over the holiday weekend reached an annual record of more than 56 inches, surpassing the previous high of 53.54 inches in 1991. This region should be drying out by Monday, Pydnowski said.
“There is going to be more snow and wintry weather on the way. But it’s going to be focused a little farther north. Areas like Oklahoma, North Texas and eastern Kansas won’t be that bad” Monday, he said.
Sunday travel after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year, with peak highway congestion generally through 6 p.m., according to an analysis by Waze, a navigation app.
Travel nationally appeared to be largely unimpeded Sunday, Pydnowski said. The exception would be in and around Denver, where snow was falling.
Eight people were killed Friday and Saturday in floods in North Texas, according to WFAA-TV. At least six other people died as a result of accidents on icy roads in Kansas and Oklahoma, the AP said.