Storm could wreck US holiday travel plans
WEATHER BLAMED FOR AT LEAST 11 DEATHS, HALF OF THEM IN TEXAS
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
Awinter storm that hit parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas was expected to be worse, but with temperatures creeping above freezing the outcome was less dramatic than forecasters had feared. Still, the severe weather could ramp backup as it sweeps towards the East Coast, where it is poised to threaten plans for those travelling during a long holiday weekend. “It’s just really cold. We had drizzle but no snow,” said Courtney O’Neal- Walden, an owner of the Dairyette diner on US 270 in Mount Ida, Arkansas. “You can see [ ice] on the power lines but the roads are fine.” She said ominous warnings of a winter storm kept most people in — though schools remained open — and few stopped by the diner. The storm started in theWest and as of Monday was blamed for at least 11 deaths, half of them in Texas. It limped across Arkansas with a smattering of snow, sleet and freezing rain that didn’t meet expectations. John Robinson, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in North Little Rock, said the storm arrived in Arkansas a bit later than expected on Monday — after sunrise— and that temperatures were able to creep up a bit. “In many places that made a lot of difference,” Robinson said. As the storm continues east, forecasters say heavy rains and strong winds could impact airports up and down the coast, while inland areas could see a half- foot of snowor more. “Some of those amounts could be very substantial,” Robinson said. “Closer to the coast, there will be a big rain spell, I’m afraid ... from central North Carolina up into Maine: 2 to 5 inches.” This will holiday likely see the most air travellers since 2007, according to Airlines for America, the industry’s trade and lobbying group, with the busiest day being Sunday, an estimated 2.56 million passengers. Today is expected to be the second- busiest with 2.42 million passengers.