Severe winter storm continues to move eastward, I-40 in path

The storm will continue to have a major impact on travel on Interstate 40, a major east-west trucking thoroughfare.

The Trucker News Services

1/29/2010

A dangerous and disruptive storm will spread heavy snow and ice from the southern Plains through the mid-South through tonight, leading to more major problems with long-lasting power outages, widespread tree damage and extremely hazardous travel, according to AccuWeather forecaster Meghan Evans.

Up to a foot of snow will pile up on the storm's northern edge from southern Missouri and northern Arkansas through southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee.

Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Nashville, Tenn., are among the cities and towns that will get the heaviest snow.

The storm will continue to have a major impact on travel on Interstate 40, a major east-west trucking thoroughfare.

The zone of heavy icing to the south will cause the most trouble and damage from this storm.

Memphis and Little Rock will lie in icy zone today, but a changeover to snow is expected to occur in Little Rock overnight.

Snow falling on top of areas like central Oklahoma that were already pounded be heavy icing will keep travel extremely dangerous.

Stretches of I-40 and I-44 were both shut down in portions of the southern Plains by late Thursday due to heavy accumulations of ice. Other portions of I-40 could close as the heavy snow and ice spread farther east.

Flight delays and cancellations will persist in the South Central until the storm moves away late tonight.

The weight of ice will continue to knock down trees and power lines as the storm advances. Gusty winds accompanying the storm are also adding extra stress to trees and power lines from the southern Plains to the mid-South.

More than 50,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma alone were without power as of early Friday, and some locations could be in the dark for days.

Tonight into Saturday, snow will advance eastward, reaching all the way to the southern mid-Atlantic Coast, blanketing parts of northern North Carolina and southern Virginia with as much as a foot of snow. Charlotte will get a mix of rain, freezing rain and sleet followed by snow.

The combination of wintry precipitation, and in some cases plunging temperatures following the rain, will make untreated roads and sidewalks extremely treacherous in the wake of the storm.

The Trucker staff can be contacted to comment on this article at editor@thetrucker.com.