Freezing Temps: Sure Iowa Has it Bad, But Texas Has it WORSE?

By now I feel we're all pretty used to this (brutally) cold weather. It doesn't stop life in eastern Iowa, folks still go to work, go out to eat, and party it up on the weekends - indoors of course. But, this isn't the case everywhere you go when it gets cold. Case and point: the south.

130,000 customers lose power, Dallas shuts down

While it's not below zero in the southern United States, it's below freezing, and that's wreaking havoc on many elements of daily life. KWWL reports that over 130,000 residents and businesses in mostly Texas and Arkansas are experiencing, or have experienced a power outage associated with the snow, sleet, and ice that have hit the region.

As you likely remember, almost exactly one year ago, a massive winter storm crushed Texas' power grid. 246 died, many from hypothermia. That storm left many residents with no power for weeks. This year, the KWWL report says the power companies seem poised to handle the extra stress but have warned residents the storm could still knock out power locally if a tree limb falls on a power line, or freezing rain damages power lines.

Get our free mobile app

The triple threat was so severe, the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport closed Thursday morning due to freezing rain. What's worse, or at least, in my opinion, the 20-inches of snow they've picked up around Colorado Springs. No thank you.

For eastern Iowa, things are looking up

Closer to home, temps are expected to warm rapidly. From about 20 Friday to over 40 degrees on Tuesday, there is not likely to be any winter-related issues in the next week.