寒潮來襲美國多地降雪降溫 加州4人被“凍死”

Millions hunkered down for icy conditions expected to last through the weekend from Texas to Ohio to Tennessee as a cold snap covered much of the nation, knocking out power and making roads treacherous Saturday.

Face-stinging sleet, thick snow and blustery winds led to slick road conditions, school closures and event cancellations as the wintry blast dropped temperatures to freezing and below overnight Saturday.

A treacherous section of icy Interstate 35 about 50 miles north of Dallas has been closed intermittently for as long as five hours as tractor-trailers were unable to climb a hill and then clog the busy highway, Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman Michelle Releford said Saturday. The backup can extend for miles.

Three traffic-related deaths were reported, one in Arlington and two in Oklahoma.

And about 117,000 customers in the Dallas area were without power Saturday morning and more than 350 departing flights from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport had been cancelled in the morning, the airport said. About 3,330 passengers had stayed overnight in the terminals.

In California, four people died of hypothermia in the San Francisco Bay Area while the region was gripped by freezing temperatures.

Freezing rain and sleet are likely again Saturday night in Memphis, Nashville and other areas of Tennessee before the storm starts surging northeast.

"It looks like we're going to be stuck with this for one, two, maybe three days," said Memphis attorney Sam Chafetz, who was going home early to enjoy some bourbon-soaked sweet potatoes left over from Thanksgiving.

"I'm not afraid of the ice and snow, I'm afraid of the other drivers who don't know how to drive in it," Chafetz said.

Virginia officials warned residents of a major ice storm likely to take shape Sunday, resulting in power outages and hazards on the roads.

State Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Laura Southard said the storm had the potential to be a "historic ice event."

"This forecast is very concerning to us," Southard said. "I've worked multiple disasters, but I've never worked an ice storm with a forecast like this."

The weather forced the cancellation of Sunday's Dallas Marathon, which was expected to draw 25,000 runners, some of whom had trained for months.

Meanwhile, around 7 inches of snow fell in northeast Arkansas and the Missouri boot heel, according to the National Weather Service in Memphis. Ice accumulated on trees and power lines in Memphis and the rest of West Tennessee after layers of sleet fell throughout the region Friday. The weather service says 8 to 9 inches fell in parts of southern Indiana.

The storm dumped a foot of snow and more in some areas of Illinois, with police scrambling to respond to dozens of accidents and forced scores of schools to remain closed.

Western and central Kentucky were under winter storm warnings slated to last through early Saturday. With warmer temperatures expected in eastern Kentucky, forecasters issued a flood watch into Saturday morning.

Looking ahead, the National Weather Service says a wind chill advisory is in effect for parts of northeast Arkansas and the Missouri boot heel. Forecasters say wind chill readings between zero and minus-5 degrees may occur.

Delivery delays may occur in areas where the storm caused unsafe driving and flying conditions, said Scott Fielder, a spokesman for FedEx, which has its worldwide hub in Memphis.

Ice had built up on the windshields and roofs of parked cars throughout Memphis into Saturday. Law enforcement reported an increase in traffic crashes, and scattered power outages affected more than 3,000 people, emergency and utility officials said.

Residents were told to prepare for a few days without power, prompting them to rush to stores to stock up on groceries, buy electricity generators and gas up their cars. Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell reminded residents to check on family and friends who are elderly, disabled or live alone.

In Nashville, organizers canceled the Christmas parade. The annual St. Jude Memphis Marathon, scheduled for Saturday, was canceled as well.

Sleet also fell in Dyer County, Tenn., where one shelter was on standby and farmers worked to protect crops and livestock.

"We're still getting a lot of sleet falling and roads are slushy and kind of slick," said James Medling, emergency management director for Dyer County.

Storms this week had already dumped 1 to 2 feet of snow in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin and draped many communities in skin-stinging cold. The temperature in parts of North Dakota on Thursday was a few degrees below zero, but wind chill pushed it to nearly 40 below.據美國媒體12月8日報道，本週末，寒潮侵襲美國大部分地區，從得克薩斯州、俄亥俄州到田納西州，多地迎來暴雪降溫天氣，導致電力中斷、交通事故發生率顯著上升。

當地時間6日夜晚至7日凌晨，美國多地出現雨夾雪、大雪和強風天氣，氣溫降至冰點，多所學校關閉、不少大型活動取消。

得克薩斯州交通運輸部發言人米歇爾·瑞勒福特7日通報稱，美國35號州際公路位於該州達拉斯市以北路段當天間斷性關閉近5個小時，原因是路面溼滑致使幾輛牽引式掛車無法爬坡進而阻塞交通，汽車長龍一度達到數英里長。此外，當天路面狀況糟糕，馬薩諸塞州阿靈頓和俄克拉荷馬州還發生了幾起交通事故，造成3人死亡。

受極端天氣影響，達拉斯市7日上午發生大面積斷電、影響約11.7萬名用戶，達拉斯—沃斯堡國際機場超過350個離港航班取消，3300餘名乘客不得不滯留在機場航站內過夜。

而在加利福尼亞州，舊金山灣區7日氣溫驟降陷入嚴寒，致使4人因體溫過低喪生。氣象部門稱，7日晚隨着冷空氣向東北部轉移，田納西州首府納什維爾、孟菲斯市以及其他地區再次出現雨夾雪和凍雨。

“看上去，近幾天內天氣狀況不會改善。”孟菲斯市居民薩姆·查菲茨說，“我並不害怕下雪結冰，但我擔心有些司機不知道如何在這種嚴寒天氣中開車。”

美國聯邦快遞（FedEx）發言人斯科特·菲爾德表示，該公司的全球運轉中心設在孟菲斯市，當地的路面和空中交通狀況均因極端嚴寒天氣惡化，所以公司負責運轉的貨品會出現延遲。孟菲斯市的執法部門也報告稱，當地的交通事故發生率明顯上升。

弗吉尼亞州應急管理部門發言人勞拉·索瑟德表示，一場冰暴將在當地時間8日侵襲弗吉尼亞州，該州居民需做好準備應對電力中斷和路面結冰等突發狀況。“有關這場冰暴的預測令我們感到非常擔憂，我經歷過許多自然災害，但是從未見過被預測得如此可怕的冰暴。”索瑟德說，“它有可能成爲一場‘世紀冰暴’。”受此影響，原定於8日舉行的達拉斯馬拉松比賽取消。這場賽事預計會吸引2.5萬人前來參賽。

與此同時，根據美國國家氣象局提供的數據，阿肯色州東北部及其毗鄰的密蘇里州東南部降雪已達7英寸（約合17.8釐米），而在印第安納州南部，部分地區的降雪更是達到8至9英寸（約合20.3至22.8釐米）。

美國國家氣象局稱，未來幾天，阿肯色州東北部和密蘇里州東南部將受寒流侵襲，氣溫可能會驟降至零下。