Power has already been lost in parts of western Oklahoma due to severe icing.There, the storm is in the process of changing over to heavy snow, but theserious icing will spread eastward.
Thursday night and Friday, the greatest damage from the buildup of ice willreach from north central Texas through Oklahoma and Arkansas to Tennessee.
Power outages are the main concern here, and once they happen, electricity maynot be restored for an extended period.
Then of course there is the concern over treacherous roads and sidewalks, aswell as falling tree branches.
Freezing rain occurs when raindrops freeze upon impact with the ground, trees,power lines and other cold surfaces. This happens when there is a mild layer ofair at a few thousand feet, while the air at the ground is still belowfreezing.
Sleet, on the other hand, occurs when cold air at the ground is somewhat deeperand the raindrops freeze before impact. In regard to travel and damagepotential, freezing rain is by far the worst of the two.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
