The winter storm hits the southern U.S.

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President BidenJoe BidenBiden on Trump’s acquittal: “The substance of the indictment is not in dispute” White House press aide resigns after threatening Trump journalist’s condemnation vote exposes division of Republican Party MORE on Sunday approved a declaration of emergency for Texas and several governors have declared states of emergency as a winter storm hits the southern United States.

Southern states are receiving snow and icy rains, as they endure the coldest temperatures of recent years, decades, and in at least one case even a century. Snow is accumulating in Texas and Oklahoma and is expected to increase later Sunday.

State officials have encouraged residents to stay home amid the weather, with Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas deploying the National Guard to respond to the disaster, according to The Associated Press.

Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Meteorological Service (NWS), told the AP that southern plain states could see up to 12 inches of snow by Monday, noting the rarity of winter storms reaching as far as to the south.

All 254 Texas counties received a winter storm warning from the NWS as of Sunday afternoon, as the state prepares for the continuation of low temperatures, wind chills and precipitation from icy rain to snow at least the next day, the Texas Tribune.

President Biden approved an emergency declaration request for all Texas counties due to the results of the severe winter storm that has plagued the state since Feb. 11. His approval came to activate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to respond to Texas. a day after the investigation (R) of Governor Greg Abbott.

“I thank President Biden for quickly issuing a Federal Emergency Declaration for Texas as we continue to respond to severe winter weather conditions throughout the state,” Abbott, who issued a statewide disaster declaration on Friday, he said in a statement.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) declared a state of emergency for last week’s 77 counties in preparation for the storm.

In a Sunday update, the governor said state and local authorities “worked 24 hours a day to clean the roads as quickly as possible.”

Related states of emergency have also been declared in at least three other southern states: Louisiana, Kentucky and Mississippi.

The storm is already setting records for the region. The Houston NWS released its first wind chill warning in history on Sunday to remain in effect until noon Tuesday, while the Austin and San Antonio NWS said it will experience the lowest temperatures since 1989.

Oklahoma City is expected to reach -11 degrees Tuesday morning, the lowest temperature in 116 years, according to the Washington Post.

The weather caused the cancellation of many flights, including hundreds at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and accumulations of multiple vehicles in Texas and Oklahoma.

The Texas Electric Reliability Council, the state’s leading grid operator, warned in a statement that it could have to implement an energy emergency alert, which would cause power outages across the state due to the “record electricity demand”.

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