Maybe some bureaucrat thought the people in that part of the country are a little too relaxed in their thinking about how safe they are and well people just need to be shook up a bit. I live in Dallas and the only time I was ever actually afeared because of a tornado was driving through Illinois and all the semi-trucks had exited the highway and parked in the rest stop practically pinned next to each other. It was when we stopped for gas that we found out less than a mile away a tornado had been spotted. I have never felt real panic before that point. And I live in Tornado Alley.
WOW....That WOULD get your attention all right.
My daughter and I traveled from Southern CA to GA in Feb. 2003 - she was relocating there and I was along for the ride and moral support (and also for gas/motels/food etc).
Outside of Abilene, my daughter asked me, “What’s that on the windshield - I said, “that’s ice”. “Well, how do I get rid of it?” Southern CA freeways weren’t where you got experience traveling in/on ice.
I told her to turn her defrosters on and “let’s get off the highway.” Easier said than done as by then everything was covered with ice and exit ramps were either UP a hill or DOWN with stop signs at the end of each and unable to stop...easily!!! I grew up and drove in upstate NY as a teenager and drove in snow but never ice so I wasn’t one to give much help to her except what we did - get off the road!!!!
Long story short, we made it to a motel, spent the night. We had to walk carefully to and from the car to the motel room. The next morning we saw 18 wheelers on the road so we figured it was safe and ventured out and followed in their TIRE TRACKS in the ice but it grew worse so we got off at another tricky exit ramp into Fort Worth and there we spent the next 3 days at the first motel/hotel we came to.
Expensive but I didn’t care - we were OFF the road!!! We had the whole downtown area to ourselves and other stranded travelers - walking carefully on ice to nearby restaurants for meals. ODDLY, the expensive motel/hotel didn’t have a restaurant. Courtyard Marriott or whatever, I think???
The day before traveling INTO TX was clear and sunny - we checked weather before we ever left home in CA - nothing pointed to that kind of weather...
I knew people who always said it takes forever to get through TX on a motor trip but I never thought it would take THAT long...
My husband and I have since moved to GA and we’ve had some ice storms here but being retired, we don’t have to BE anywhere!