Winter weather sweeps across the South and up to the East Coast

A winter storm pounded an area from West Texas to eastern West Virginia during the week. 

More than 450,000 Texans found themselves without power as the weather made for hazardous driving conditions causing numerous car crashes across the state. The storm has been blamed for at least ten deaths in the Lone Star State. 

Watches and warnings about wintry conditions were also issued for portions of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi. Several rounds of mixed precipitation, including freezing rain and sleet, slashed across the area causing flight delays and school closures.

Much of the nation’s midsection was also affected by the winter weather which led to events being canceled in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. 

Out West, winter weather is being welcomed as the snowpack continues to increase. After multiple winter storms, the snow depth in the Sierra Nevada mountains remains at record levels.

Sean de Guzman, California Department of Water Resources: "So for our survey today, we recorded a snow depth of 85.5 inches in a snow water content of 33.5 inches. That results in 193% of average to date and 137% of the April one average here at this location." 

The deep snow is expected to help relieve some of the drought being experienced by Central Valley farmers when the snowpack melts in the spring. 

For Market to Market, I’m David Miller