The Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Ice storm abates while all eyes on Punxsutawney Phil
Start your day with the latest weather news – Temperatures are forecast to slowly warm above freezing in Texas and the mid-South later Thursday, eventually bringing a merciful end to the days-long ice storm. Meanwhile, it's time to check in with Punxsutawney Phil and see what the rest of winter has in store.
Ice storm creates havoc across Memphis, TN
FOX Weather's Nicole Valdes was in Memphis, Tennessee where massive chunks of ice coated roads and cars across the the city.
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It’s Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023 – Groundhog Day, and the halfway point of winter. Start your day the right way with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.
Texas, mid-South begin their slow thaw after deadly ice storm
Temperatures are forecast to slowly warm above freezing in Texas and the mid-South later Thursday, eventually bringing a merciful end to the days-long ice storm that has left several people dead from icy highway crashes. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power across the region.
Drivers battling icy road conditions across Texas
FOX 4 Dallas reporter Shannon Murray is in Fort Worth, Texas, where drivers are having a tough time on the roads due to icy conditions, while first responders are urging people to stay off the roads.
Aside from multiple road closures throughout the region due to the ice storm, thousands of flights into and out of the region were also heavily impacted, with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport leading the pack with the most cancellations and delays.
Several areas in Texas reported at least a half-inch of ice accretion, with Fischer reporting three-quarters of an inch.
Things to know
- What makes an ice storm?
- Can you smell snow?
- You were just involved in a weather-related crash - now what?
- How to use a generator safely
Will Punxsutawney Phil get it right this year?
It's Groundhog Day – the day we shun all our weather apps and maps and get forecast advice from a groundhog in Pennsylvania. (Or perhaps a groundhog in Ohio, New York or Wisconsin?)
You should all know the drill by now, but in case you, like Phil, spend a lot of time hidden inside, if Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter, while not seeing his shadow means an early spring.
(FOX Weather)
We'll see if he's right – he's had a tough run of late. By FOX Weather's account, Phil is batting four for 10 over the last decade of prognostications, including zero for his last two.
For what it's worth, here's what NOAA's long-range forecast is suggesting.
Mysterious sand slabs appearing on Lake Michigan beach
A video from the shores of Lake Michigan showed a surreal frozen scene: Hundreds of slabs of sand covered in snow and ice are scattered down the beach.
See: Mysterious sand slabs on Lake Michigan Beach
They look like rocks but no, these are slabs of frozen slabs complete with icicles on Tiscomia Park Beach in Michigan. Frosty temperatures created the blocks which were carved by the howling winds and waves. Freezing drizzle helped out with some icicles.
The tide had pulled back at Michigan's Tiscomia Park Beach when the video was taken, revealing a strip of the beach littered with chunks of sand.
"Every year, as wind blows across the lake, there's no friction to stop it, so it pushes the sand around," said photographer Nate Voytovick. "Then, once it freezes over, the sand locks in place."
Bonus Reads
- Polar vortex to bring 'once-in-a-generation' cold event to Northeast this weekend
- Discovery of 256 fossilized titanosaur eggs sheds new light on dinosaur species
- Buffalo’s deadly blizzard in December ignites county’s new plan to keep residents safe
Need more weather? Check your local forecast plus 3D radar in the FOX Weather app. You can also watch FOX Weather wherever you go using the FOX Weather app, at foxweather.com/live or on your favorite streaming service.