A destructive winter storm has hit the southern Plains, making travel dangerous and slowing down supply chains due to potential road closures.
The storm has caused widespread power outages and has led to highway accidents and airport closings as snow and ice piled up across several states, including eastern Texas to the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys.
It is expected that all modes of transport will be delayed:
- Power Outages: Outages were reported across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
- Airports: Many flights have been grounded due to the severe winter weather and snow/ice accumulation at major airports including Houston, Dallas, Memphis, and Nashville.
- Rail: Union Pacific sent a customer alert Sunday telling its customers to anticipate delays of a minimum of 72 hours for shipments in areas affected by the severe weather. Other rail yards are also impacted.
- Trucking: The storm will likely impact truckers on the Interstate 95 corridor and Interstate 40 corridor, along with additional interstate routes in the area of the storm.
- Ports: Port Houston is closed today, but no decision has been made regarding operations for tomorrow, February 16.
Several inches of snowfall and significant ice buildup Monday will impact places like Houston and eastern Oklahoma, as well as southwestern Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; Little Rock and Fort Smith, Arkansas; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; and Indianapolis. The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings and ice storm warnings for these areas.
Another storm could produce heavy snowfall and icy conditions across Texas and the Mississippi Valley around midweek.
It is expected that many aspects of the supply chain in these areas will be affected. Mallory Alexander will make every effort to mitigate delays and surcharges stemming from the inclement weather. However, please note that force majeure will apply in this situation due to the inclement weather. Please reach out to your Mallory Representative with any concerns regarding your shipments.
Source: Freightwaves