Man found frozen to death at bus stop as winter storm kills 6 & Americans brace for second round of bitter cold and snow
AN arctic blast has left death and devastation in its path as at least six lives have been lost to frozen roads and frigid temperatures.
One tragic victim was found frozen to death at a bus stop while desperately seeking shelter from Winter Storm Blair, as another bout of weather fury is set to blow through the US.
On Monday, Blair swept from the south and Midwest into the mid-Atlantic, dumping feet of snow on cities like Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC.
The severe storm had traveled from areas in Kansas, Missouri, and Texas, which suffered through piercing temperatures and layers of deadly frost on Sunday.
As of Tuesday morning, 200,000 homes and businesses from Missouri to Virginia were still without power thanks to the most devastating storm of the season, according to PowerOutage.us.
Those left in Blair’s thankless path have been warned to stay off the roads and seek shelter as officials report a growing number of weather-related deaths.
On Sunday, a man died at a bus stop in Houston on a night when the feels-like temperatures dropped as low as 18 degrees, ABC affiliate KTRK reported.
The details about the victim’s background are unknown, but the tragedy sparked fear for homeless populations across the country.
“We gave away over a hundred coats and hundred blankets, so we plan for that ahead of time,” Scott Arthur, a volunteer at the Star of Hope organization, said.
“We also plan for the fact that we don’t have a lot of room in the shelter.”
Meanwhile, in nearby Missouri, a disturbing flurry of traffic deaths has driven up Blair fatalities.
In Jackson County outside Kansas City on Sunday, a 61-year-old man died after he got out of a dump truck and was struck by a truck that was sliding down the icy road, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
On Saturday, a 33-year-old man was killed by a parked semi-truck that slid down a hill and struck him as he was crossing a street in Holt County, north of Kansas City, officials said.
And that same day, a semi-truck skidded out of control on a snow-covered road and hit a driver coming the opposite way on US Route 56 in Kansas.
The 28-year-old citizen was killed in the crash, and the truck driver was uninjured, according to Kansas Highway Patrol.
In Wichita, Kansas, two more young people died in a horror crash on Sunday.
Winter Storm Blair recap
ON January 4, a storm cyclone strengthened to Winter Storm Blair, and descended on areas of Texas, Kansas, and Missouri.
At least six people have died in weather-related accidents caused by the storm.
The storm started in the Pacific Northwest late on January 3 and moved inland and southeastward, CNN reported.
By that weekend, freezing rain and sleet poured on Kansas and Missouri, and cars started sliding off the roads and causing fatal crashes.
On Sunday, a man died in Houston, Texas, while sitting at a bus stop, as feels like temperatures dropped in the teens.
On Monday, Blair moved northwards and brought feet of snow to cities like Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC.
Ohio and Kentucky also got the brunt of the snowfall, with areas in Louisville and Cincinnati getting a massive amount.
KHP said that the 24-year-old man and 26-year-old woman were in a car that slid down into an embankment thanks to the winter storm.
Traffic crashes haven’t been the only tragic deaths since Blair blew over. In Illinois, a child died while tubing on the freshly fallen snow.
The little 10-year-old was slingshotted from the tube while being pulled by an all-terrain vehicle and was launched into a boulder.
He was riding on the tube with another child, who sustained serious injuries from the accident.
Some truck drivers have vowed to put their deliveries on hold and wait out the storm to save lives.
Michael Taylor, a driver from Los Angeles, felt that the conditions in Cincinnati, Ohio, were “too dangerous” for him to continue his journey.
“I didn’t want to kill myself or anyone else,” he told the Associated Press.
MORE STORMS LOOM
Frigid conditions are expected to linger across the Midwest and mid-Atlanta regions struck by Blair.
Another storm is expected to blow through the south on Thursday, moving eastward from southern Texas into areas of Georgia.
The weather will flip from rain and sleet in the southern areas and turn to snow if it continues to move toward the northeast.
In Dallas, Texans should brace for up to six inches of snow, or 1.6 inches of sleet, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
“Should six inches of snow fall in Dallas it would be in the top-five snowfalls on record,” AccuWeather’s Dan Depodwin said.
On Friday, snowy conditions will descend north of these areas, and cities like Nashville, Tennessee, can expect to see an icy mix.
Atlanta, Georgia, should also expect conditions similar to those in Dallas on Friday, as well as other areas of Southern Appalachia.