The day so far
The powerful winter storm sweeping across much of the US over the weekend has been linked to at least 15 deaths, as many parts of the country grappled with heavy snow, ice and dangerous cold. In Texas, authorities in Frisco said that a 16-year-old died in sledding accident, while in the Austin area, a person was found dead from apparent hypothermia. Louisiana authorities reported two winter storm-related deaths. In Arkansas, a 17-year-old boy was killed in a sledding accident, and in North Carolina, a man was found dead on a highway. In New York City, mayor Zohran Mamdani said that five people were found dead outdoors over the weekend. A woman in Kansas was also said to have died from hypothermia and was found covered in snow. Massachusetts officials have said that a woman died after being struck by a snow plow, and Tennessee officials have reported three weather-related deaths.
As of this morning, more than 200 million people from Texas to New England were under cold alerts, with forecasters warning that bitter cold could persist through the week in many regions. The National Weather Service said that “frigid air” would spread across the eastern two-thirds of the county in the coming days, “with widespread sub-zero lows and record cold” expected. The agency said that dangerous wind chills would persist, and “much below-normal temperatures may continue into early February”.
More than 800,000 people were without power nationwide this morning, including more than 250,000 in Tennessee, about 157,000 in Mississippi and roughly 125,000 in Louisiana.
US transportation secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration needs two more days to fully recover from the weekend’s significant flight disruptions and hopes that by Wednesday flights will return to normal. Travel was heavily disrupted over the weekend, with more than 10,500 US flights cancelled yesterday. On Monday, nearly 4,000 US flights had been cancelled, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.com.
The NWS’s Prediction Center said this morning that while snow was continuing across parts of New England on Monday, the snowfall had “concluded for the rest of the central and eastern United States”. Preliminary snowfall totals have showed that parts of Massachusetts saw as much as 20in (51cm) of snow over the weekend. And parts of Pennsylvania registered 23in.
Duffy says FAA hopes to 'get back to normal' by Wednesday
US transportation secretary Sean Duffy has said the Federal Aviation Administration needs two more days to fully recover from the weekend’s significant flight disruptions amid the massive winter storm, and hopes that by Wednesday flights will return to normal. He told CNBC this morning:
This storm is unique. You get the ice and you get the snow and, on top of that, we have now a cold weather snap that comes after it ... So it makes it more challenging to navigate the ice that’s going over the last three days.
We’re going to have more capacity as we come back to a full running schedule. So you’ll expect more full planes, more full flights as you fly this week, just as people are going to their destinations. But again, Wednesday is our target date to get back to normal.
Early voting has been suspended in some local elections in Rhode Island owing to office closures amid the winter storm.
In a post on X, the Rhode Island Board of Elections said elections in Coventry districts four and five, the North Smithfield referendum and the Warwick referendum were affected.
At least 15 people dead and 800,000 without power as severe winter storm sweeps the US
in New York
The powerful winter storm sweeping across much of the US over the weekend has been linked to at least 15 deaths.
The deaths have been reported from Texas to New England as many parts of the country grappled with heavy snow, ice and dangerous cold.
In Texas, authorities in Frisco said that a 16-year-old died in sledding accident, while in the Austin area, a person was found dead from apparent hypothermia. Louisiana authorities reported two winter storm-related deaths. In Arkansas, a 17-year-old boy was killed in a sledding accident, and in North Carolina, a man was found dead on a highway.
In New York City, mayor Zohran Mamdani said that five people were found dead outdoors over the weekend. A woman in Kansas was also said to have died from hypothermia and was found covered in snow.
Massachusetts officials have said that a woman died after being struck by a snow plow, and Tennessee officials have reported three weather-related deaths.
As of this morning, more than 200 million people from Texas to New England were under cold alerts, with forecasters warning that bitter cold could persist through the week in many regions.
The National Weather Service said that “frigid air” would spread across the eastern two-thirds of the county in the coming days, “with widespread sub-zero lows and record cold” expected. The agency said that dangerous wind chills would persist, and “much below-normal temperatures may continue into early February”.
More than 800,000 people were without power nationwide this morning, including more than 250,000 in Tennessee, about 157,000 in Mississippi and roughly 125,000 in Louisiana.
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A man walking his dog Daisy in the snow in Denton, Texas, yesterday.
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The Louisiana Department of Health yesterday confirmed two winter storm-related deaths in Caddo parish, in the Shreveport area in the northwest of the state.
Two men, who ages are not known, died due to hypothermia, the parish coroner confirmed. No further details were provided.
Northern Louisiana has experienced major icy conditions and freezing temperatures during the winter storm, leading to road closures and leaving almost 125,000 residents without power.
Three people have died while trying to shovel and clear snow in Leigh County, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, the coroner has said.
The three people who died ranged in age from 60 to 84 years old and “were reportedly engaged in snow shovelling or snow clean-up efforts prior to experiencing a medical emergency”.
The coroner’s office said the deaths were all ruled natural, and are consistent with cardiac-related events that can happen during “strenuous activity such as snow removal, particularly in older adults or those with underlying health conditions”.
The coroner, Dan Buglio, urged anyone who continues to clear snow today to “use caution”.
Take frequent breaks, stay hydrated, avoid overexertion, and seek assistance when possible – especially individuals with a history of heart disease or other medical concerns.
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A private aircraft carrying eight people crashed on takeoff last night at Maine’s Bangor international airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said – as that region and much of the country grappled with the huge winter storm.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 crashed at about 7.45pm. No details have yet been made public on the conditions of those aboard.
According to federal authorities and air traffic controller recordings, the business jet at the center of the crash flipped over and caught fire as it tried to take off during a snowstorm.
A 16-year-old girl was killed and another left in critical condition after a sledding accident in Frisco, Texas, yesterday.
The Frisco police and fire departments responded to the incident at around 2:25pm yesterday afternoon and located two 16-year-old girls with life threatening-injuries. One of the girls died of her injuries and the second remains in a critical condition at a local hospital.
A 16-year-old boy was driving a jeep while pulling the two girls on a sled, according to police. Witnesses said the sled struck a curb and collided with a tree. Frisco police have said the incident remains under active investigation.
Mayor declares state of emergency in city of Pittsburgh - report
A state of emergency has been declared in Pittsburgh by mayor Corey O’Connor due to the snowstorm, according to reports.
Ricky Sayer, of KDKA, posted on X:
Mayor Corey O’Connor has declared a state of emergency in the city of Pittsburgh due to the snowstorm.
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Three deaths in Kentucky are being investigated to determine if they were caused by the winter storm, it has been reported.
Paul Miles, of the Kentucky News Network, said on social media that governor Andy Beshear confirmed the investigations.
Flights have resumed at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, it has been confirmed.
An update at 8.30am local time said that lingering delays and cancellations may continue to be an issue but the main runway reopened last night.
The Metrorail is also open and running weekend-frequency services.
Here are some photos that show just how severe the snow storm has been in New York:
Freezing rain that coated roads and brought trees and branches down on power lines was the main peril in the South over the weekend. In Corinth, Mississippi, heavy machinery manufacturer Caterpillar told employees at its site to stay home today and tomorrow.
It already was Mississippi’s worst ice storm since 1994 with its biggest-ever deployment of ice-melting chemicals — 200,000 gallons (750,000 liters) — plus salt and sand to treat icy roads, Governor Tate Reeves said at a press conference on Sunday.
He urged people not to drive anywhere unless absolutely necessary. “Do please reach out to friends and family,” Reeves added.
Temperatures dipped as low as -40 Fahrenheit (-40C) in parts of Minnesota on Sunday. Many communities across the Midwest, South, and Northeast awakened Monday to subzero weather. The entire Lower 48 states were forecast to have their coldest average low temperature of -9.8F (-12.3C) — since January 2014.
Record warmth in Florida was the only thing keeping that average from going even colder, said former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Ryan Maue, who calculates national averages based on National Weather Service data.
Calling the storms “historic”, Donald Trump on Saturday approved federal emergency disaster declarations in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia, allowing access to assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
However, just two days earlier he had used reports of the impending storm to cast doubt on climate change. Trump, posted of the storm on Truth Social: “Rarely seen anything like it before. Could the Environmental Insurrectionists please explain – WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???”
The number of flight cancellations and delays is expected to rise throughout the day.
Low pressure south of New England is expected to move east over the Atlantic on Monday, bringing heavy snow to parts of the Northeast and freezing rain across sections of the Mid-Atlantic, the US National Weather Service said.
Snow is also expected along the Appalachian region, while rain will spread along the Southeast coast as a cold front moves offshore, the agency said.
American Airlines accounted for the largest share of disruptions on Monday, with over 600 flights canceled and about 135 delayed, followed by Republic Airways, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines.
Flight cancellations continue on Monday
About 3,800 flights were canceled and over 1,000 were delayed as of early Monday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, following more than 11,000 cancellations reported on Sunday.
The PowerOutage.com tracking site showed more than 820,000 customers without electricity as of Monday, mostly in the US south where the storm intensified on Saturday.
In Tennessee, where a band of ice has downed power lines, more than 250,000 residential and commercial customers were without electricity, while Louisiana and Mississippi – where such storms are less common – each had over 100,000 outages as of Monday.
The outages are particularly dangerous as the South is being walloped by treacherous cold that the National Weather Service warns could set records.
Authorities from Texas to North Carolina and New York urged residents to stay home due to the perilous conditions.
A storm barreling across the United States had killed at least 11 people on Monday, prompting warnings to stay off the roads, mass flight cancelations and power outages after a weekend of misery.
The storm dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain across swathes of the country from Texas to New England, with temperatures set to fall dangerously low this week.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said five people were found dead outside over the weekend, telling reporters “there is no more powerful reminder of the danger of extreme cold.”
Tens of millions of Americans hunkered down on Monday or ventured out to help neighbors under bitter cold, blizzards of snow and lashings of freezing rain from a huge winter storm that paralyzed the eastern United States.
From New York and Massachusetts in the northeast to Texas and North Carolina in the south, roads were frozen slick with ice and buried under often more than a foot of snow, Reuters reported.
In some southern states, residents faced winter conditions unseen in those areas for decades, with inch-thick ice coating branches, bringing down trees and power lines.
Flights were canceled, schools were shut and volunteers staffed emergency shelters to provide warmth for the needy and homeless.
“I just saw a need for getting people out of the cold,” said Ryan DuVal, who owns a vintage firetruck and was driving it through the frozen streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma, looking for people who needed help.
“You know, just cruise the streets, see someone, offer a ride. If they take it, great. If not, I can at least warm them up in the truck and just get them a water, meal, something. And it’s just giving back to the community like everybody should do.“
Severe storms grip US as snow, ice and deep freeze spread
Good morning and welcome to the US weather blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines over the next few hours.
The US is enduring another bout of severe winter weather, as a succession of powerful weather systems brings heavy snow, freezing rain and extreme cold temperatures to much of the country.
Twenty-six states, from Texas to Massachusetts, were under storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service over the weekend, with many alerts remaining in place this week.
Heavy snow began falling in parts of north Texas and Oklahoma on Friday evening before pushing eastwards. By Sunday, swathes of the central and eastern US were experiencing either heavy snow or freezing rain, causing widespread travel disruption.
In parts of Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky, about 2.5cm (1in) of ice coated cars, roads and trees and brought down power lines. Snow and freezing rain continued to track north-east into cities including New York and Philadelphia, where some areas recorded 30-50cm of snowfall.
Power outages are expected to last several days in some regions, with more than 800,000 households without electricity as of Sunday night. At least seven deaths have been linked to the extreme conditions. Widespread intense cold is now spreading southwards, with lows of -20C in parts of Texas.
Forecasters have also warned of an unusual hazard associated with the deep freeze: “exploding” trees. Rapid freezing causes water and tree sap to expand inside tree trunks, sometimes producing loud cracking or explosive sounds as wood and bark split under pressure.
Read more from our latest weather tracker here:
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