Venezuela latest: Nicolás Maduro takes office as global backlash and sanctions mount

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term Friday despite international condemnation of his recent reelection as illegitimate, as his administration grows increasingly brazen in cracking down on opponents.

The country's legislative palace, where he was sworn in, was heavily guarded by police, military and intelligence officers. Crowds of people, many sporting pro-Maduro T-shirts, gathered in adjacent streets and a nearby plaza.

While Maduro's supporters were rallying, his opponents were expected to head to the streets after aides to a key opposition leader said that she was briefly detained Thursday following an anti-government demonstration in the capital, Caracas.

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it is extending the temporary legal status to about 600,000 Venezuelans who fled the country for another 18 months. It cited “the extraordinary conditions that prevent eligible Venezuelan nationals from safely returning.”

The announcement came just minutes after Maduro was sworn in to serve a third six-year term and marks the Biden administration’s latest in support of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, which faces an uncertain future under U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to sharply curtail its use during his first term as president.

The U.K. imposed sanctions on 15 senior top Venezuelan officials, including senior officials with the electoral service and the commander of the armed forces, and called Maduro’s claim to the presidency illegitimate. The sanctions include a travel ban and a freezing of assets.

“Nicolás Maduro’s claim to power is fraudulent,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. “Today’s sanctions send a clear message. The U.K. will not stand by as Maduro continues to oppress, undermine democracy, and commit appalling human rights violations.”

Canada also said it has imposed sanctions on 14 current and former senior officials that the government said “have engaged in activities that have directly or indirectly supported human rights violations in Venezuela."

Few regional leaders – other than those facing their own human rights criticisms – traveled to Venezuela to attend Maduro's inauguration.

While countries like Peru said they recognized opposition leader Edmundo González, not Maduro, as Venezuela's rightful leader, other regional allies like Colombian leftist leader Gustavo Petro and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum were notably absent.

A coalition of Venezuelan opposition parties condemned Maduro’s inauguration, calling it a “coup d’état” against the democratic will of the people. It said in a statement that Maduro landed his third term through “brute force and by ignoring” the popular vote.

It maintained that opposition leader Edmundo González was the rightful president who won the July presidential election.

“We begin today a new stage in the struggle for the freedom of Venezuela," the coalition wrote. “We must make them feel our permanent and active democratic resistance, until the national constitution and especially the popular will is respected.”

As Maduro rails on foreign critics, the U.S. Treasury Department slapped a new round of sanctions on Venezuelan officials.

The U.S. sanctions were placed on the president of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Maduro’s transportation minister and state-owned airline, and high-level military and police officials which the Treasury said had “roles in carrying out Maduro’s repression and human rights abuses against democratic actors.”

The U.S. State Department also boosted its offer for information leading to the arrest of Maduro and his interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, to $25 million each, and placed a new bounty of $15 million for information about Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino.

In 2020, the department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information on Maduro. It also imposed new travel restrictions on an undisclosed number of Maduro-aligned government officials who the U.S. believes undermined the electoral process and were complicit in repression.

In a fiery speech following his swearing in, Maduro claimed that his government has “complied with the constitution” despite little evidence that he won the election and international claims of fraud.

Maduro accused external powers of “attacking” Venezuela, taking digs at the U.S. government and foreign critics, and he promised to guarantee “peace and national sovereignty.”

“Today more than ever I feel the weight of commitment, the power that I represent, the power that the constitution grants me,” he said. “I have not been made president by the government of the United States, nor by the pro-imperialist governments of Latin America.”

Maduro accused the opposition of trying to turn the inauguration into a “world war,” but said they failed.

In the crowd celebrating Maduro’s inauguration was Presidents Miguel Díaz-Canel of Cuba and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua – countries also facing international sanctions for democratic crackdowns. Top Russian and Chinese officials were also in attendance.

Opposition leader Edmundo González remains in the Dominican Republic, and has announced a news conference at the hotel where he's staying. This comes despite promises by the former presidential candidate to arrive in Venezuela and be inaugurated as president.

González had never offered details of how he intended to enter the country and take power, especially given Maduro's firm control of the military and government.

González was on a regional tour of Latin America in an effort to rally support before the inauguration, with his last stop being in the Dominican Republic.

Standing before officials, Maduro was sworn in at Venezuela's legislative palace.

“I swear by Bolivar, by Sucre, by Urdaneta, by Manuela Saez, by the eternal memory of our eternal commander Hugo Chavez ... I swear by history, I swear by my life,” Maduro said.

As he did, followers erupted into cheers.

Authorities announced the arrival of Maduro and other leaders to Venezuela's legislative palace, where he is set to be sworn in shortly.

The building is being heavily guarded by police, military and intelligence officers. In adjacent streets and a nearby plaza, people, many sporting pro-Maduro T-shirts, are already gathering. Maduro walked by crowds as some outside the palace roared “Vamos Nico!", “or Let's go, Nico!”

“Today we've come to support our constitutional President Nicolás Maduro with tons of joy and excitement,” said supporter Sabrina Sucre, who traveled from the Venezuelan coast with a fellow fisherwoman to witness the inauguration.

The European Union imposed sanctions on 15 top Venezuelan officials who had a role in the South American country’s 2024 election.

Among those sanctioned are the president and vice president of Venezuela’s Supreme Court, electoral agency and others, which the 27-nation bloc said have put the nation’s democracy at risk.

Venezuelan authorities have announced the suspension of commercial flights and the closure of borders between Venezuela and Colombia, a country with which it shares a 2,200-kilometer (1,367-mile) border.

The measure, which came into effect at 5 a.m. Friday local time and will last 72 hours, came after former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González promised to return to the country to be sworn in as president.

González, who returned to Latin America last weekend from his self-exile in Madrid, is recognized as president-elect by the United States, several countries in the region and international organizations such as the Organization of American States. He hasn't offered details of how he intends to enter the country to appear at the inauguration and strip Maduro of power.

Costa Rica's former President Laura Chinchilla — part of the delegation of former leaders accompanying González — said Thursday he was still intending to enter Venezuela on Friday, without providing details. She spoke at the hotel in the Dominican Republic where they were staying.

Maduro is facing more international rebuke than at any time in his nearly 12 years in power. The self-declared socialist has clung to power despite credible evidence that he lost last year’s election by a landslide. That sparked criticism by the United States and others that the vote was stolen.

But this isn’t the first time Maduro's claim to power has been questioned. Dozens of countries led by the U.S. condemned his 2018 re-election as a sham and recognized Juan Guaidó, the then-head of the National Assembly, as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.

The opposition leader even led a parallel government for a few years, bolstered by the Donald Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign of punishing economic sanctions, and until the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, repeatedly commandeered massive anti-Maduro protests. The anti-Maduro sentiment stemmed from the political, social and economic crisis that pushed millions into poverty, hunger, poor health, crime, desperation and migration.

Maduro, who took power in 2013 following Hugo Chávez’s death from cancer, has seen the entirety of his time in office marked by the crisis. Without “El Comandante” in charge, the economy entered a death spiral — shrinking 71% from 2012 to 2020, with inflation topping 130,000%.

Ahead of last year's election, voters across the country repeatedly said they or their loved ones would emigrate if Maduro remained in power. Under his watch, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have already left their homeland in search of better living conditions.

This week alone, masked gunmen arrested a former presidential candidate, a prominent free speech activist and the son-in-law of self-exiled opposition leader González.

González, who handily won last year's election according to tally sheets activists collected from electronic voting machines, said his son-in-law was kidnapped Tuesday in Caracas by hooded men wearing black while en route to drop off his children at school.

On Thursday, the eve of Maduro's inauguration, aides to opposition leader María Corina Machado said she was detained, followed moments later by official denials, in a confusing episode that capped a day of protests. She was freed after she was coerced into recording various videos, according to her aides.

Sharing cells in the country’s packed prisons with the hundreds of government opponents arrested since the election are as many as 10 Americans. Most have not had access to a lawyer and only limited contact with family members, who worry they could be subject to torture, as past American detainees have alleged.

None has been declared wrongfully detained by the State Department, a designation that would give their cases more attention. Because the U.S. has no diplomatic presence in Venezuela, their families can face a long process pushing for their release. The Americans’ detentions add another complication to the many Venezuela challenges that await President-elect Trump when he returns to the White House on Jan. 20.

Electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared Maduro the winner hours after polls closed on July 28, but unlike in previous presidential elections, they did not provide detailed vote counts.

At the same time, the main opposition coalition collected tally sheets from 85% of electronic voting machines, posted them online and said they showed that González thrashed Maduro by a more than two-to-one margin. Experts from the Atlanta-based Carter Center, invited by Maduro’s government to observe the election, have said the tally sheets published by the opposition are legitimate.

Global condemnation over the lack of transparency prompted Maduro to ask the country’s high court — also filled with allies of his United Socialist Party of Venezuela — to audit the election results. The court reaffirmed Maduro’s victory without providing thorough evidence and encouraged the electoral council to release the vote counts. But neither the council nor the ruling party produced any evidence.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro participate in a protest the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel waves after the swearing-in ceremony of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for a third term at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Government supporters gather outside the National Assembly during the swearing-in ceremony for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gestures to supporters next to his wife Cilia Flores after his swearing-in ceremony for a third term at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores wave after his swearing-in ceremony for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrive at the National Assembly for his swearing-in ceremony for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, left, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez arrive at the Assembly for the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega arrives for the inauguration ceremony of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Government officials, from left, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, National Assembly Vice President Pedro Infante, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, and National Assembly Second Vice President America Perez arrive for the swearing-in ceremony of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the National Assembly for his swearing-in ceremony for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrive at the National Assembly for his swearing-in ceremony for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

A family gathers on top of a mountain in El Avila National Park in La Guaira, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, days ahead of President Nicolas Maduro's inauguration for a third presidential term. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

An opponent of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro protests the day before his inauguration for a third term, at Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, lower right, waves a Venezuelan national flag, during a rally to protest official results that declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the July presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez, File)

Supporters of Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez gather during a meeting in Panama City, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Agustin Herrera)

A government supporter dressed as Super Mustache, a character depicting President Nicolas Maduro as a superhero, stands outside of Miraflores Palace after a rally, days ahead of Maduro's presidential inauguration for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Night falls on Caracas, Venezuela, as seen from El Avila, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, days ahead of President Nicolas Maduro's inauguration for a third presidential term. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuelan Tulio Rodriguez holds a wanted sign of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that reads in Spanish: "Reward. Dead or alive" outside the Venezuelan embassy in Lima, Peru, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, the day before his inauguration for a third term. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro display a Venezuelan flag during a protest the day before his inauguration for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro flashes victory hand signs at supporters during a pro-government rally, in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez, File)

A campaign banner of President Nicolas Maduro adorns a building in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Former Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, center, stands with former presidents, from left, Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica, Jorge Quiroga of Bolivia, Vicente Fox of Mexico, Andres Pastrana of Colombia, Hipolito Mejia of the Dominican Republic, Jamil Mahuad of Ecuador, Felipe Calderon of Mexico and General Secretary of the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas Asdrubal Aguiar, at the presidential palace in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

An opponent of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a banner that reads in Spanish, "Out of my country! Criminal, narco-trafficker, dictator" at a demonstration at the Plaza de Mayo the day before Maduro's inauguration for a third term, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

ATLANTA (AP) — A powerful winter storm that dumped heavy snow and glazed roads with ice across much of Texas and Oklahoma lumbered eastward into southern U.S. states Friday, prompting governors to declare states of emergency and shuttering schools across the region.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders mobilized the National Guard to help stranded motorists. School was canceled for millions of children across a wide tract of southern states from Texas to Georgia and as far east as South Carolina.

Some of the heaviest snowfall was expected Friday across the northern half of Arkansas and much of Tennessee, with expected totals in some parts of those states ranging from 6 to 9 inches (about 15 to 22 centimeters), according to the National Weather Service.

As much as a foot (about 31 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of Arkansas, where schools remained closed Friday. Six inches had already coated Memphis, Tennessee, from late Thursday into Friday morning, and heavy, wet flakes were still falling.

Farther south and east into Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, a wintry mix of sleet, snow and ice made travel treacherous.

Mikayla Johnson, 12, was out making snow angels and snowmen in Atlanta on her day off from school.

“My first thought was, WOW!” said Mikayla, who was outdoors with her father, Nate. “We haven’t had snow since I was like 4 — the good snow, at least. So, I’m really happy.”

The storm dumped as much as 7 inches (about 18 centimeters) in some spots in central Oklahoma and northern Texas.

And in the Kansas City area, students were back at school in several districts Thursday after three straight snow days, only to see classes called off again Friday because of more snow.

Snow began falling in metro Atlanta before dawn, leading to hundreds of flights being cancelled and hundreds more delayed at Atlanta’s airport, according to flight tracking software FlightAware. Controllers declared a ground stop before 8 a.m., meaning no planes could land or take off. Atlanta, a major hub for Delta Air Lines, is the world’s busiest airport.

Four passengers were injured after a Delta Air Lines plane bound for Minneapolis aborted takeoff on Friday morning, according to a statement by officials at the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

One passenger was taken to a hospital for treatment, while three people were treated at the scene for minor injuries. The incident contributed to further delays at the airport, although Delta said it was unclear whether the weather had anything to do with the flight aborting its takeoff.

Other airports with significant delays and cancellations included those in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas-Fort Worth and Nashville. Fifty-five passengers who were on three American Airlines flights that were diverted from Dallas-Fort Worth spent the night at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock on Thursday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged residents to avoid driving if possible. Some 75,000 fans were expected Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the college football championship semifinal between Texas and Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole, but it sometimes ventures south into the U.S., Europe and Asia. Some experts say such events are happening more frequently, paradoxically, because of a warming world.

The cold snap coincided with rare January wildfires tearing through the Los Angeles area.

As much as 8 inches (about 20 centimeters) of snow could fall in parts of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia through Saturday, the weather service said. Snow and ice were likely to accumulate across metro Atlanta on Friday, making roadways treacherous and possibly causing power outages.

More than 1 million public school students in metro Atlanta and north Georgia got a snow day or were at home learning online.

After a disastrous snowstorm in 2014 that left thousands of Atlanta-area workers and schoolchildren stranded overnight away from home, officials in Georgia were quick to cancel in-person classes and close offices Friday.

Georgia emergency officials said they learned lessons from past Atlanta ice storms. During this storm, crews are towing vehicles stalled in the snow, which was a massive problem during past ice and snow storms when interstates and roads became clogged with stalled cars and trucks, said James Stallings, director of Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Many schools canceled classes Friday in Alabama's northern half, where state roads were largely covered in snow or ice and some were already impassible, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Friday morning.

Tennessee also faced a state of emergency. The state's largest school district, Memphis-Shelby County Schools with more than 100,000 students, closed all schools Friday. Tours at Graceland, Elvis Presley’s former home-turned-museum, were canceled Friday, a spokeswoman said.

Joe Feliciano tromped over snowy sidewalks to deliver mail in Nashville on Friday. The Florida native isn’t used to driving in the snow, but the U.S. Postal Service trained him, so now he’s “nervous, but confident.” Just drive slow and be careful, he added.

“This is like, ‘Wow!’ This is a lot of snow,” Feliciano said, noting he moved to Tennessee in late 2023.

Parts of South Carolina were seeing their first wintry weather in three years. The state Department of Transportation treated interstates and other major highways from Columbia northward, but vehicles were slipping off icy Interstate 95 south of the city. Some schools closed Friday.

Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency for North Carolina. The approaching storm prompted the cancellation of a public outdoor inauguration ceremony for Stein and other statewide elected officials in Raleigh on Saturday.

Loller reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press reporters Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Jeff Amy in Atlanta; Jeff Martin in Kennesaw, Georgia; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

Read more of the AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment.

Jesse Thompson rides his bicycle in the snow Friday, Jan 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Traffic along Interstate 40 is seen in the snow Friday, Jan 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Traffic along Interstate 40 is seen in the snow Friday, Jan 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Jesse Thompson rides his bicycle in the snow Friday, Jan 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

T. Jones walks in the snow Friday, Jan 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

T. Jones walks in the snow Friday, Jan 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Chris Ashton shovels snow Friday, Jan 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Ky McCray walks in the snow Friday, Jan 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A person walks across Broadway in the snow Friday, Jan 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vehicles move slowly on Interstate 575 during a winter storm, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Kennesaw, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Vehicles move slowly on Interstate 575 during a winter storm, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Kennesaw, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A vehicle moves slowly on Interstate 75 during a winter storm, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Kennesaw, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Vehicles move slowly on Interstate 75 during a winter storm, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Kennesaw, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A truck picks its way along a slushy Interstate 285 northeast of downtown in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

/// A truck picks its way along a slushy Interstate 285 northeast of downtown in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

A truck is jackknifed as another spins its wheels on a slushy offramp off Interstate 285 northeast of downtown in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

Snow blankets a street in Memphis, Tennessee, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)

Snow is accumulated near AT&T Stadium a day prior to the Cotton Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff semifinal game between Ohio State and Texas, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Slush is plowed on a street during a winter storm, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A snowman with leaves for hair stands in a park Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A man who gave his name as Servo uses an umbrella to cross a street as snow falls Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Snow is accumulated on a parking lot near AT&T Stadium a day prior to the Cotton Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff semifinal game between Ohio State and Texas, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A truck treats a road for better driving conditions as snow falls Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Frank Burnett, originally of Mississippi, uses a blanket to keep warm as he stands hoping for donations from passing motorists Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Plano, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Snow falls as a car and a scooter make their way along a street Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Luke Choat slides on a small snow covered hill Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A sign warns motorists of icy conditions along Interstate-20 during a winter storm, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Grand Prairie, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Stacy Whitehead walks with her dog, Dolly, as the sun highlights the ice-covered limbs above the walking trail at Legion Park in Owensboro, Ky., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Alan Warren/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP)

Frank Burnett walks on a snow covered overpass Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Plano, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Snow falls as a person boards a DART train Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)