By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Freezing rain and sleet made for
a sloppy Christmas morning trek in parts of the nation's midsection on
Tuesday, while residents along the Gulf Coast braced for thunderstorms,
high winds and tornadoes.
Icy roads already were blamed for a 21-vehicle
pileup in Oklahoma, where authorities warned would-be travelers to stay
home. Fog blanketed highways, including arteries in the Atlanta area
where motorists slowed as a precaution. In New Mexico, drivers across
the eastern plains had to fight through snow, ice and low visibility.
At least two tornadoes were reported in Texas, though only one building was damaged, according to the National Weather Service.
A blizzard watch was posted for parts of Indiana
and western Kentucky for storms expected to unfold Tuesday amid
predictions of up to 4 to 7 inches of snow in coming hours. Much of
Oklahoma and Arkansas braced under a winter storm warning of an early
mix of rain and sleet forecast to eventually turn to snow.
Some mountainous areas of Arkansas' Ozark Mountains
could get up to 10 inches of snow, which would make travel "very
hazardous or impossible" in the northern tier of the state from near
whiteout conditions, the National Weather Service said.
Elsewhere, areas of east Texas and Louisiana braced
for possible thunderstorms as forecasters eyed a developing storm front
expected to spread across the Gulf Coast to the Florida Panhandle.
The holiday may conjure visions of snow and ice,
but twisters this time of year are not unheard of. Ten storm systems in
the last 50 years have spawned at least one Christmastime tornado with
winds of 113 mph or more in the South, said Chris Vaccaro, a National
Weather Service spokesman in Washington, via email.
The most lethal were the storms of Dec. 24-26,
1982, when 29 tornadoes in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and
Mississippi killed three people and injured 32; and those of Dec. 24-25,
1964, when two people were killed and about 30 people injured by 14
tornadoes in seven states.
Quarter-sized hail reported early Tuesday in
western Louisiana was expected to be just the start of a severe weather
threat on the Gulf Coast, said meteorologist Mike Efferson at the
weather service office in Slidell, La. Tornado watches were in effect
across southeastern Texas and southern Louisiana.
Storms along the Gulf Coast could bring winds up to
70 mph, heavy rain, more large hail and dangerous lightning in
Louisiana and Mississippi, Efferson said. Furthermore, warm, moist air
colliding with a cold front could produce dangerous straight-line winds.
In Mississippi, Gov. Phil Bryant urged residents to have a plan for any severe weather.
"It only takes a few minutes, and it will help everyone have a safe Christmas," Bryant said.
In Alabama, the director of the Emergency
Management Agency, Art Faulkner, said he has briefed both local
officials and Gov. Robert Bentley on plans for dealing with a possible
outbreak of storms.
No day is good for severe weather, but Faulkner
said Christmas adds extra challenges because people are visiting
unfamiliar areas and often thinking more of snow than possible twisters.
In California, after a brief reprieve across the
northern half of the state on Monday, wet weather was expected to make
another appearance on Christmas Day. Flooding and snarled holiday
traffic were expected in Southern California.
___
Associated Press writer Bob Johnson in Montgomery, Ala., and Ken Miller in Oklahoma City, Okla., contributed to this report.
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