ABC News is currently reporting that upcoming severe weather is due to be unleashed across America. The report indicates that at least 58 million Americans across 20 states are currently on alert. The storm is set to bring heavy snow in some areas while high winds and tornadoes are a major threat throughout other parts of the country.
A tornado watch was issued Thursday morning for parts of Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee including the highly inhabited areas of Memphis, Little Rock, and Paducah. More recently, a tornado watch was also implemented in parts of Mississippi until later this evening. Wind gusts are expected to blow harder than 70 mph.
Golf ball-sized hail rained down in Arkansas and Tennessee overnight on Wednesday as well to go along with wind gusts of up to 70 mph in the region.
The heaviest snowfall is due to hit in a swath from New Mexico to Illinois. High wind advisories are in effect from the Southwest all the way up into the Great Lakes region. The storm will continue making its way eastward all day Thursday, with severe weather patterns expanding from the Gulf Coast all the way up into the Midwest.
Snowfall is expected to reach levels of 1 to 2 inches per hour along with the high winds in places like Northern Texas and the Oklahoma panhandle. Kansas and Nebraska are expected to get hit hard with snowfall as well. The storm’s heaviest snowfall is expected in Colorado and Michigan. Those four states could see up to 6 inches to a foot of snow. Up to 40% of the flights to and from the Denver area have already been delayed or canceled. Chicago meanwhile is expected up to 5 inches of snow and flights could be impacted there as well.
Lucky Cat Rescued After Being Frozen In Winter Storm
A stray cat in Michigan was recently rescued after getting its paws stuck in the snow and ice during a winter storm. A local resident named Jenay Chartier was driving down a cul-de-sac in a new subdivision in Chesterfield Township, Michigan when she saw the feline. The cat had black fur, so at first, she thought it was a garbage bag. She threw her work truck into park to scope out the situation. She works as a soil erosion officer for Macomb County Public Works. The Detroit Free Press had the story first.
Apparently, she realized it was a cat before she even exited her vehicle. “Before I opened my door, I’m like ‘Oh, my God, it’s a cat! “Oh my God, and she’s like, like barely alive. … So I go and look at her and I was like ‘Oh, my God, she’s frozen.”
Chartier said her next move was to contact a friend who is a veterinarian. She recommended keeping the cat separated from her other pets until it could be examined. The following day, she took the animal in to be inspected by the vet. The cat was estimated to be about a year or two old. Despite some bald spots from where the ice pulled out her fur, the cat was in otherwise good condition after surviving the nasty winter storm. The cat did not have a microchip or a collar, which means the feline was likely a stray.
Woman Plans To Keep Frozen Cat Forever
Since the feline has no apparent owners, Chartier plans on keeping her. For now, the cat is staying in a spare bedroom and slowly warming up to her new home. She also said she believes everything happens for a reason. The woman said she was supposed to be in Texas on the day she found the cat, but that trip was canceled. She said leaving the cat to freeze never crossed her mind.
“You can’t leave an animal there like that, no, not ever. Maybe it’s just meant to be. I just want her to have a great life,” she said.
