A significant winter storm persisted in the United States on Sunday morning, unleashing freezing rain, sleet, and snow from southern states to New England. The icy and snowy conditions were anticipated to persist through Monday, accompanied by plummeting temperatures, leading to hazardous roadways, power outages, and challenging travel.
The U.S. National Weather Service cautioned that heavy snowfall was projected from the Ohio Valley to the northeast, while the Lower Mississippi Valley to the mid-Atlantic and the southeast faced the threat of “catastrophic ice accumulation.” Meteorologist Allison Santorelli described the storm as exceptionally far-reaching, impacting regions spanning from New Mexico to New England, covering an extensive 2,000-mile stretch.
By Sunday morning, approximately 213 million individuals were under winter weather advisories, with nearly 840,000 customers experiencing power outages, a number on the rise according to data from poweroutage.us. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia declared weather emergencies as the Department of Homeland Security emphasized the severity of the situation.
To mitigate blackouts, the Department of Energy authorized the deployment of backup generation resources in Texas and the mid-Atlantic region. The National Weather Service warned of a protracted winter storm with substantial ice accumulation in the southeast, potentially resulting in severe impacts. Record-breaking cold temperatures and perilously low wind chills were predicted to intensify across the Great Plains region.
Flight cancellations and delays surged, surpassing 10,000 and 8,000 respectively on Sunday, with major hubs including Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York heavily affected. As the storm subsides, the lingering cold temperatures may impede recovery efforts, prolonging the restoration of power and infrastructure.
Nashville and its vicinity encountered significant ice build-up, leading to hazardous conditions and widespread power outages. Authorities urged residents to remain indoors in Oxford, Miss., where utility crews were called off due to perilous conditions. Treacherous roadways in north Georgia also posed risks, exemplified by the closure of establishments like Waffle House, often used as an informal indicator of severe weather events in the U.S. South.
