Ice storm from Texas to Kentucky threatens hazards, outages

Residents from Texas to Kentucky Friday braced for an ice storm expected to bring widespread power outages and treacherous driving conditions, forecasters said. Icy roads combined with fallen trees and power lines would make travel by foot or in a vehicle very dangerous. Freezing rain and ice buildup of up to a half inch was expected to hit metro areas from Dallas to Little Rock, Ark.; Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Memphis; Evansville, Ind.; and Louisville, Ky, UPI reported. Cold air behind the storm will keep the ice in place for some time, complicating and in some cases halting the cleanup. A second large storm from the southwest was expected to roll across the region over the weekend, adding more layers of ice. Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh could receive more snow than ice from the two systems.