February 11, 2009 5:28 PM
- Text
Winter Storm Toll: 66 And Counting
(CBS/AP)
A bone-rattling blast of sleet and snow kept Texas and Oklahoma residents shivering in the dark Thursday, while a blizzard north of Los Angeles caused big rigs to jackknife.
At least 66 storm-related deaths have been reported in nine states since Friday: 23 in Oklahoma, 11 in Missouri, 8 in Iowa, 4 each in New York and Michigan, 10 in Texas, 3 in Arkansas and 1 each in Maine, Indiana and North Carolina.
Many Oklahoma schools remained closed Thursday, but Texas students headed back to class as transportation officials reopened roadways closed by ice.
In Texas, a 300-mile stretch of Interstate 10 from Fort Stockton to San Antonio reopened Thursday after two days, though officials said slush and icy patches remained.
Snow accumulations were light by some other regions' standards — the Dallas area topped out at three inches — but hundreds of airline flights were canceled. Some airlines ran out of the chemicals used to de-ice the planes, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella.
Tens of thousands of customers lost electricity. About 69,000 Oklahoma homes and businesses remained without power Thursday.
In California, farm damage was so serious that a state of emergency has been declared and some farm workers are already out of work — with no crop to pick or pack.
While temperatures in the nation's midsection were expected to rise above freezing and melt some of the ice Thursday, "a new developing storm which caused that sudden burst of snow over the hills of Southern California yesterday will be spreading another mixed bag of snow, sleet and freezing rain over most of this same storm battered areas later tomorrow lasting into Friday night and Saturday, possibly undoing all of the repair work that's just taken place there," warned CBS News meteorologist George Cullen.
That means there could be another eight inches of snow on the Plains by late Friday.
Students who enjoyed extended weekends after Martin Luther King Jr. Day headed back to class Thursday in San Antonio, Houston and Austin as transportation officials reopened some roadways that were closed because of icy conditions.
Many schools across Oklahoma planned to remain closed Thursday, some through the rest of the week, prompting concerns about how that instruction time will have to be made up.
In Tulsa, Okla., the city's salt supply was running critically low, as 50 spreaders worked to clear streets near schools and hilly areas. "Everyone's in the same boat," said Dan Crossland, the city's street maintenance supervisor. "We're scrounging for resources."
Freezing rain and sleet descended upon the streets of Laredo, Texas, and other communities along the Mexican border. Tourists at The Alamo were bundled up and in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, there were icicles hanging from famous landmarks.
Across the country, storms since Friday have cut off what had been an unseasonably mild winter in many areas.
Frigid conditions tested even those used to snow and ice. The entire state of Maine was no warmer than the single digits, and several communities saw dangerous wind chills. It was minus-16 degrees in Caribou.
In New Hampshire, only about 825 of the more than 50,000 homes and businesses that lost power in the ice storm remained without power Thursday, said Martin Murray, a Public Service Company of New Hampshire spokesman.
Freezing rain and some snow showers were reported across South Carolina early Thursday morning as some school districts delayed the start of classes.
"A mixture of rain and snow will be moving up the Carolina coastlines and into the Mid-Atlantic states as the day wears on, with the Northeast getting a taste of it during the night," said Cullen. "It won't be much, though, and coastal areas will probably get nothing more than a cold rain for a few hours."
In California, a fast-moving storm dropped snow in the mountains above Malibu, left white coats of hail in the city and unleashed a blizzard Wednesday that closed Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles.
The snow sent cars sliding out of control, and kids into snowball fights, reports CBS News correspondent Jerry Bowen.
Also in California, a deep freeze that began last Friday has destroyed up to three-quarters of the state's citrus crop, and that could mean $1 billion in losses, reportsCBS Radio News correspondent Steve Futterman (audio)
Strawberries took a big hit, reports Bowen. There were not many to be found at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.
"We're not going to have that many strawberries. It's going to be real light," said grower Gloria Tamai.
The fallout from the freeze continues right down the food chain, reports CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes. With no fresh fruit coming in, packing plants have been emptied, their employees let go.
Which means Southern California wholesalers like Guillermo Monroe are feeling squeezed.
"It's hard to make a living in that situation because you never know what's going to be tomorrow at the wholesale market," Monroe tells Hughes.
While you'll likely pay more for fresh citrus, the price increase for orange juice shouldn't be much. Florida Citrus Mutual Executive Director Mike Sparks told CBS News correspondent Peter King. That's because most juice oranges don't come from California.
"Florida does supply most of the oranges for juice," he said.
Avocado lovers can relax, too. Most of that crop was picked before the freeze, so there's no shortage forecast for Super Bowl on Sunday Feb. 4, reports Bowen.
"Guacamole for everybody!" declared avocado grower Laura Ramirez.
Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pledging that all workers idled by the deep freeze — regardless of immigration status — will get help from the state. However, illegal immigrants won't be eligible for unemployment checks.
Schwarzenegger has asked the federal government for disaster aid.
At least 66 storm-related deaths have been reported in nine states since Friday: 23 in Oklahoma, 11 in Missouri, 8 in Iowa, 4 each in New York and Michigan, 10 in Texas, 3 in Arkansas and 1 each in Maine, Indiana and North Carolina.
Many Oklahoma schools remained closed Thursday, but Texas students headed back to class as transportation officials reopened roadways closed by ice.
In Texas, a 300-mile stretch of Interstate 10 from Fort Stockton to San Antonio reopened Thursday after two days, though officials said slush and icy patches remained.
Snow accumulations were light by some other regions' standards — the Dallas area topped out at three inches — but hundreds of airline flights were canceled. Some airlines ran out of the chemicals used to de-ice the planes, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella.
Tens of thousands of customers lost electricity. About 69,000 Oklahoma homes and businesses remained without power Thursday.
In California, farm damage was so serious that a state of emergency has been declared and some farm workers are already out of work — with no crop to pick or pack.
While temperatures in the nation's midsection were expected to rise above freezing and melt some of the ice Thursday, "a new developing storm which caused that sudden burst of snow over the hills of Southern California yesterday will be spreading another mixed bag of snow, sleet and freezing rain over most of this same storm battered areas later tomorrow lasting into Friday night and Saturday, possibly undoing all of the repair work that's just taken place there," warned CBS News meteorologist George Cullen.
That means there could be another eight inches of snow on the Plains by late Friday.
Students who enjoyed extended weekends after Martin Luther King Jr. Day headed back to class Thursday in San Antonio, Houston and Austin as transportation officials reopened some roadways that were closed because of icy conditions.
Many schools across Oklahoma planned to remain closed Thursday, some through the rest of the week, prompting concerns about how that instruction time will have to be made up.
In Tulsa, Okla., the city's salt supply was running critically low, as 50 spreaders worked to clear streets near schools and hilly areas. "Everyone's in the same boat," said Dan Crossland, the city's street maintenance supervisor. "We're scrounging for resources."
Freezing rain and sleet descended upon the streets of Laredo, Texas, and other communities along the Mexican border. Tourists at The Alamo were bundled up and in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, there were icicles hanging from famous landmarks.
Across the country, storms since Friday have cut off what had been an unseasonably mild winter in many areas.
Frigid conditions tested even those used to snow and ice. The entire state of Maine was no warmer than the single digits, and several communities saw dangerous wind chills. It was minus-16 degrees in Caribou.
In New Hampshire, only about 825 of the more than 50,000 homes and businesses that lost power in the ice storm remained without power Thursday, said Martin Murray, a Public Service Company of New Hampshire spokesman.
Freezing rain and some snow showers were reported across South Carolina early Thursday morning as some school districts delayed the start of classes.
"A mixture of rain and snow will be moving up the Carolina coastlines and into the Mid-Atlantic states as the day wears on, with the Northeast getting a taste of it during the night," said Cullen. "It won't be much, though, and coastal areas will probably get nothing more than a cold rain for a few hours."
In California, a fast-moving storm dropped snow in the mountains above Malibu, left white coats of hail in the city and unleashed a blizzard Wednesday that closed Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles.
The snow sent cars sliding out of control, and kids into snowball fights, reports CBS News correspondent Jerry Bowen.
Also in California, a deep freeze that began last Friday has destroyed up to three-quarters of the state's citrus crop, and that could mean $1 billion in losses, reports
Strawberries took a big hit, reports Bowen. There were not many to be found at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.
"We're not going to have that many strawberries. It's going to be real light," said grower Gloria Tamai.
The fallout from the freeze continues right down the food chain, reports CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes. With no fresh fruit coming in, packing plants have been emptied, their employees let go.
Which means Southern California wholesalers like Guillermo Monroe are feeling squeezed.
"It's hard to make a living in that situation because you never know what's going to be tomorrow at the wholesale market," Monroe tells Hughes.
While you'll likely pay more for fresh citrus, the price increase for orange juice shouldn't be much. Florida Citrus Mutual Executive Director Mike Sparks told CBS News correspondent Peter King. That's because most juice oranges don't come from California.
"Florida does supply most of the oranges for juice," he said.
Avocado lovers can relax, too. Most of that crop was picked before the freeze, so there's no shortage forecast for Super Bowl on Sunday Feb. 4, reports Bowen.
"Guacamole for everybody!" declared avocado grower Laura Ramirez.
Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pledging that all workers idled by the deep freeze — regardless of immigration status — will get help from the state. However, illegal immigrants won't be eligible for unemployment checks.
Schwarzenegger has asked the federal government for disaster aid.
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