A massive winter storm in the United States has knocked out power to over a million customers, disrupted tens of thousands of flights and left several people dead as dangerous cold and snow swept from the South to the Northeast, officials said.
Authorities across dozens of states reported widespread outages as freezing rain and heavy snow brought down trees and power lines, particularly across the South and parts of the Mid-Atlantic. Data from PowerOutage.com showed more than one million customers without electricity at peak levels, with Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Georgia among the hardest hit.
In Tennessee, the situation has become dire, with more than 300,000 customers without power as ice crushed trees and utility poles. Nashville Electric Service warned that outages could persist for days or longer, with crews facing extreme danger while accessing and repairing damaged infrastructure.
The storm has continued to paralyse air travel nationwide. More than 30,000 flights have been affected since Friday, including over 18,000 cancellations, as major airports were forced to halt or severely restrict operations. Airlines wiped out nearly all flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, while LaGuardia and other key hubs remained crippled or shut down.
Emergency officials urgently warned residents to stay off roads as snow, sleet and freezing rain created extremely hazardous conditions, including severe traction loss, limited visibility and rapidly refreezing surfaces. In Nashville, Memphis, Dallas, Atlanta, New York City and Boston, authorities stressed that even treated roads could quickly refreeze as temperatures plunged into the teens and single digits. State police across multiple states reported more than 300 weather-related crashes and received over 4,000 calls for assistance.
Cities and states also moved to shut down schools, courts and government offices. Major public school districts, including New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Nashville and Dallas, either cancelled in-person classes or shifted to remote learning, while universities across the East Coast and South announced campus closures through Monday or Tuesday.
The human toll continued to mount. Officials confirmed multiple deaths linked to the cold, including one in Austin, Texas, where an unresponsive victim is presumed to have died of hypothermia. In Louisiana, two hypothermia deaths were confirmed in Caddo Parish, while officials in New York City were investigating several more suspected fatalities.
With the power grid under severe strain, the US Department of Energy rushed emergency orders to grid operators, authorising the immediate deployment of backup generation. The directives allow operators in Texas and the Mid-Atlantic to tap additional capacity to ward off blackouts amid soaring demand and relentless cold.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the measures were intended to “keep Americans safe during Winter Storm Fern” and ensure reliable electricity amid record-low temperatures and storm damage. The orders remain in effect through the end of January.
Meteorologists warned that the massive system now stretches nearly 2,000 miles from New Mexico to Maine, unleashing Arctic air and dangerous moisture. The National Weather Service cautioned that even as snowfall tapers in some areas, perilous cold will linger for days, posing serious risks to those without heat or shelter.
Northeastern cities recorded significant snowfall. New York City’s Central Park reported nearly nine inches, while regional airports logged close to ten inches. Pittsburgh experienced its snowiest day in over 15 years, and parts of New England prepared for up to two feet of snow.
Officials warned that prolonged outages combined with extreme cold were sharply increasing risks for vulnerable populations. Federal and state agencies opened warming centres and shelters, racing to protect those at risk as the storm moved east and temperatures remained dangerously low.
— IANS
