Storm Hits Texas Hill Country; Cold Shatters Midwest Records

A winter storm slammed into the Texas Hill Country on Sunday, closing highways in San Antonio and bringing sleet as far south as Houston.

Wichita Falls, Tex., got down to 2 degrees Sunday morning, breaking a previous record of 14 degrees set in 1972. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport reported 14 degrees, tying a 1905 record.

The latest blast of arctic cold and snow has been blamed for 47 deaths nationwide since Wednesday.

Bitter cold weather continued across the northern and central states, with readings of 10 to 20 degrees below zero common across the northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley. Subzero temperatures pushed as far south as southeastern Missouri and western Kentucky, with lows in the teens across central Mississippi.

Paducah, Ky., had a record low of 8 degrees below zero.

Other records were posted in Illinois, with Chicago down to 12 below zero, Ohio, Michigan, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky and Wyoming, where Sheridan was 3 degrees colder than its old record of 21 below zero.

Other Records Broken

The 2 degrees at Fort Smith, Ark., broke a record of 7 that had stood since 1886, and the 12 below at Dayton, Ohio, was 4 degrees lower than a record going back to 1902.

In northern Alabama, sleet and freezing rain eased, but snow was forecast for later in the day. More than 20,000 persons were without power, and utility officials said they hoped they could restore it in “a couple days.”

In Denver, cold weather was blamed for natural gas explosions that destroyed two homes and injured six persons, including three firefighters, officials said Sunday.

More snow hit northern and central Arizona. Flagstaff awoke to 11 inches of snow, with eight inches at Prescott and six inches at the Grand Canyon.

Stormy weather continued to delay the return to Phoenix of five National Guard helicopters and 26 crew members who had gone to the Hopi and Navajo reservations in northeastern Arizona last week to airlift supplies to snowbound Indians.

The cold in Tennessee forced about 400 persons to seek shelters overnight, but temperatures moderated during the day Sunday. About 5,300 customers remained without power in the southern middle Tennessee towns of Sewanee, Decherd and Winchester.