Washington [US], January 27 : At least 15 people have died across multiple US states as a powerful winter storm unleashed deadly cold, ice and snow, with authorities linking several deaths to hypothermia and snow shovelling incidents, as reported by CNN.
The storm across the southern United States has caused widespread power outages, particularly in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity as frigid temperatures linger. Officials say several additional deaths remain under investigation.
More than 200 million people are under cold-weather alerts as the brutal cold sets new daily temperature records in the Plains, with additional records expected in the South and East through at least this week, according to CNN.
The most severe infrastructure damage has been reported across a broad stretch of the South, where ice-coated roads, fallen trees and downed power lines have hampered recovery efforts. Northern Mississippi and the Nashville area in Tennessee face especially prolonged restoration timelines due to extensive tree and power line damage.
As of Monday night, more than half a million customers were still without power, despite significant progress in restoring power to levels above peak outage levels, according to PowerOutage.US. Tennessee accounted for over 190,000 outages, Mississippi more than 140,000, and Louisiana over 100,000.
Officials warned that ongoing risks remain as ice continues to strain trees and power lines. Half an inch of ice, reported in at least 12 states, can add up to 500 pounds to power lines, while wind gusts of up to 25 mph in parts of the Southeast threaten further damage.
The storm's impact has been felt nationwide, with snow covering over 56 per cent of the Lower 48 states on Monday. At least 18 states, from New Mexico to Maine, reported snowfall totals of one foot or more.
Travel disruptions have been widespread. Airlines cancelled more than 11,600 flights on Sunday, the highest single-day total since the Covid-19 travel shutdowns of March 2020, with another 6,000 US flights cancelled on Monday, affecting major hubs from Dallas to Boston. While cancellations are expected to ease by Tuesday, airlines warn that full recovery will take several days.
School closures have also mounted, with districts in Dallas, Memphis and Nashville cancelling classes Tuesday. Several Maryland districts remain closed, while others, including Baltimore City and Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, have shifted to remote learning.
The Weather Prediction Centre had warned ahead of the storm of "catastrophic ice accumulation," a forecast that proved accurate for parts of the South.
In Mississippi, Northeast Mississippi Electric Power Association CEO Keith Hayward said restoration would be "prolonged," calling the damage to trees and vegetation "devastating." About 24,000 customers, which is more than 75 per cent of the utility's service area, remained without power as of Monday.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced the deployment of around 500 National Guard members to assist with logistics and supply distribution.
In Tennessee, Nashville Electric Service reported the highest number of outages in its history, affecting 230,000 customers. Utility officials warned some residents may be without power for up to a week, describing the storm as a historic event likely to be remembered for decades.
"This is going to be something that will go down in history," a utility executive told CNN.