Ijsel legt openbaar leven voledig plat en zorgt voor chaos in Texas, Ocklahoma en Oost Missouri

Ice storm threatens chaos


(CNN) -- Freezing rain hit Oklahoma on Friday at the start of what forecasters say could be a brutal ice storm.
Millions of people in the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and eastern Missouri are being warned that conditions will deteriorate Friday afternoon, and the storm could spread as far east as Ohio and New York over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
"This is a one-in-maybe-15- to 25-year event," CNN severe weather expert Chad Myers said Friday of the forecast freezing rain, sleet and snow.

"The big story will be how many roads are shut down, airports are shut down and how many power lines are down because of the ice this weekend," Myers added.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, up to St. Louis, Missouri, could see "devastating consequences," Myers warned Friday. "You won't be able to get in or out of St. Louis tomorrow."
In Oklahoma City, Interstate 40 likely will shut down, he said.
Drivers already have had trouble on the roads there, with a truck slipping and flipping over, Oklahoma City TV station KWTV reported. One person was killed in that accident, KWTV said.
The city's Will Rogers World Airport already was seeing cancellations by Friday morning. As of noon CT (1 p.m. ET), United, Continental, Northwest, American, Southwest and British Airways had reported cancellations, according to the airport's Web site.
Tulsa International Airport also reported more than a dozen cancellations by noon.
Warnings announced
Rain is expected to fall through cold air coming from Canada and develop into an ice storm, Myers said.
Significant ice accumulations were expected Saturday night and Sunday across the Texas Panhandle through southern Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service.
Parts of central Oklahoma could see ice from a quarter inch to a half-inch thick Friday, the weather service warned, adding that bridges, overpasses and sidewalks could become especially hazardous.
Ice storm warnings already were in effect for western, central and far northeastern Oklahoma through Sunday evening. Much of the state would also fall under a winter storm watch Friday afternoon, meaning that sleet, ice and snow could affect travel. A freezing rain advisory and a flash-flood watch was also in effect in parts of the state.
The National Weather Service strongly discouraged travel during ice storm warnings, noting that downed power lines and fallen tree branches could pose dangers to drivers. In the event driving is necessary, people should keep an extra flashlight, food and water in the vehicle in case of emergency, the weather service advised.
Freezing rain was also forecast for southeast Kansas into central Missouri Friday and is expected to hit I-44 by late Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.
Ice up to three-quarters of an inch will be likely by Saturday morning, and some parts could see ice accumulations of an inch and a half by Sunday, all of which could mean widespread power outages, the weather service said.
Temperatures in the week ahead in parts of Oklahoma will have highs in the 20s and lows in the teens and possibly single digits, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris said earlier.
In addition to the central U.S., a cold snap also was predicted this weekend for California, where farmers were preparing to monitor the health of a nearly $1 billion citrus crop, The Associated Press reported