At least nine people have died and more than a million customers have no power as a fierce winter storm continues its damaging trek across the United States, with ice, sleet and freezing rain overloading electrical lines and trees.
Flight cancellations have hit the highest point since the pandemic, and numerous closings have been announced through at least Monday in state and local offices and schools.
As power outages rise across the eastern United States, meteorologists and emergency management officials are growing increasingly concerned about the extreme cold moving in behind the storm by Monday.
“The dangers aren’t over even with the precipitation ending,” Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center, told USA TODAY. “A lot of the areas that are still getting the heavy ice, freezing rain, sleet and snow, will stay below freezing through the work week.
“We worry about people having cold weather exposure with no power,” Hurley said.
The massive storm expanded into the Mid-Atlantic overnight Sunday and moved into the Northeast on Sunday.
As snow and ice continue to fall, with frigid temperatures moving in behind it, the weather service and other federal, state and local officials are urging residents to stay off the roads when possible, take care of themselves and their pets and check on neighbors and the elderly. Extreme cold remains a leading cause of weather-related fatalities across the nation.
“New York, we’re not through this storm just yet,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said Sunday afternoon. “Stay off the roads, check on your neighbors and stay safe.”
The weather service’s Hurley said at least 150 million people remain under winter precipitation warnings, while at least 150 million people also are under cold warnings or advisories. Each category may include people from the other category, because the warnings overlap in some areas.
Here’s what to know about the storm continuing to impact tens of millions of Americans.
Electricity outages across the U.S. reached nearly a million early Sunday afternoon, with 9.2% of Tennessee customers out of power and 8% of the customers in Mississippi, according to USA TODAY’s outage tracker.
In Greenberg, Kentucky, the state’s emergency management agency is working with a hospital to transport patients after the facility lost power and its generator failed, said Gov. Andy Beshear in an X post.
As of 2:30 p.m., the states reporting the most power outages were:
- 331,000 – Tennessee
- 157,000 – Mississippi
- 129,000 – Louisiana
- 88,000 – Texas
- 67,000 – Kentucky
Sunday saw the largest number of flight cancellations across the nation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to available data.
More than 10,900 U.S. flights have been canceled and over 3,400 delayed on Sunday, as of 4 p.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
On March 30, 2020, of a staggering 22,751 flights scheduled, 12,143 were canceled. Sunday was the highest day for cancellations since then, according to Cirium data, an aviation analytics company. In the Washington, D.C., area, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport canceled all originating flights on Sunday, while Raleigh-Durham, Baltimore and La Guardia airports are at over 90% cancellations.
Those numbers could climb as the storm continues to plow east Sunday night.
— Nathan Diller, Eve Chen and Zach Wichter
Deaths have occurred in at least four states over the weekend.
At least five people “passed away and were found outside” in New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a news conference Sunday, Jan. 25. At this time, authorities do not believe the victims were homeless, Mamdani said. “While we do not yet know their causes of death, there is no more powerful reminder of the dangers of the extreme cold, and how vulnerable how many of our neighbors are, especially homeless New Yorkers.”
In Austin, Texas, Mayor Kirk Watson announced a death that was exposure-related in a post on X.
And in Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 24, officials announced the recovery of the body of Lucas Mattson, a 19-year-old University of Michigan student who was last seen around 1 a.m. on Friday walking alone outside without a coat, according to the Ann Arbor Police Department. The teen was found after a nearly 20-hour search effort by authorities in “extreme cold conditions,” police said. The cause of his death has not yet been determined, but police said there were no “obvious signs of trauma” and foul play was not suspected.
— Thao Nguyen
At least three states – Kentucky, Maryland and New Jersey – announced Sunday that all state offices will be closed on Monday.
Individual school districts in at least a half-dozen states were announced on Sunday, and more are likely, as state officials continue to warn people to stay off the roads and avoid exposure to the extreme cold.
New York City public schools will shift to remote learning on Jan. 26
Also closed on Jan. 26 are public schools in Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta, Nashville, Columbus and several districts in the Cincinnati area.
The storm-related conditions prompted Tennessee senators to cancel the Senate’s floor sessions and committee meetings for the coming week, extending a deadline to file bills, according to the Tennessee Republican Caucus. Its staff is not scheduled to return to work until Wednesday.
— Jennifer Brett, Tennessean; James Powell
Ohio Department of Transportation crews are working 12-hour shifts to clear snow from Ohio roadways but continuously falling snow and frigid temperatures are making it difficult for roadway conditions to improve, a spokesman told The Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Roads are nearly empty across central Ohio as Franklin County’s first level 3 snow emergency remains in effect as the winter storm continues to pile snow on top an initial 10 inches or so.
Before and after: Winter Storm Fern buries Columbus
Video shows before and after of Winter Storm Fern as Franklin County issued its first ever level 3 snow emergency.
“The roads are white,” Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said in an interview Sunday, Jan. 25, with The Dispatch. “They’re totally snow covered. Some of the roads are not bad … Some are just absolutely horrible.”
A winter storm warning remains in effect until noon Monday, according the weather service, with another 2-4 inches expected before the storm ends.
More than 150 million people from Texas to Maine remain under a winter storm warning or advisory, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 16 million people remain under an ice storm warning, including parts of eastern Louisiana, much of Mississippi, and a tri-state region of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Up to 18 inches of snow is expected to fall in New England through Monday morning and up to a half-inch of freezing rain is likely to fall in the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio/Tennessee valleys. Heavy rain is expected to fall in the Lower Mississippi Valley on Sunday and parts of the Tennessee Valley on Monday.
Further south, nearly 3 million people are under a tornado watch in southern Alabama, southwestern Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.
— Dinah Voyles Pulver
— Dinah Voyles Pulver
President Donald Trump has described the storm as “historic.”
Wintry conditions across more than a dozen states led to the president approving federal emergency disaster declarations in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana and West Virginia.
Governors in more than 21 states had issued emergency declarations.
“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 on Jan. 24.
The game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 25, has been postponed, the NBA announced.
That announcement comes as the buildup of snow and ice from a major winter storm has made it difficult to travel in the Memphis area.
The NBA said a rescheduled date would be announced later. The Grizzlies announced that tickets for the game would be valid for the rescheduled date.
— Jonah Dylan, Memphis Commercial Appeal
The Ole Miss women’s basketball game against Tennessee in Oxford, Mississippi on Monday, Jan. 26, has been postponed due to the winter storm. A new date for the game will be determined later.
In Oxford, the city reported on its Facebook page: “The damage is extensive “and it’s not over yet – trees are still giving way under the weight.” The city issued a shelter in place advisory Sunday morning, saying people should stay inside and off roads, bridges and walkways, according to a post from the University of Mississippi.
The No. 18 Rebels (17-4, 4-2 SEC) and No. 7 Lady Vols (14-3, 6-0) were originally scheduled to play at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26. That was moved up to 3 p.m. because of the storm before getting postponed.
— Sam Sklar, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
More than 700,000 power outages have been reported across the country, with states like Tennessee in the southeastern and central U.S. facing the brunt of the electrical issues. In some areas, trees and branches weighed down by ice have fallen and downed power lines.
Over 331,000 outages have been reported in Tennessee, more than 150,000 in Mississippi and more than 129,000 in Louisiana. Texas and Kentucky round out the list of states with the most outages as of Sunday afternoon. But thousands of outages also were reported in Virginia, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina.
Track where outages are occurring below.
The winter storm is causing some grocery stores around the country to close early.
Giant Eagle, which has approximately 200 supermarkets in five states, is closing all locations at 4 p.m. ET today, Dan Donovan, Giant Eagle spokesperson, told USA TODAY.
The Pittsburgh-based grocer has locations in north central Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, Indiana and Maryland.
In New England, Market Basket has announced it will close all stores at 4 p.m. ET, the Providence Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. The popular store in the region has locations in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine.
One grocery chain in the Mid-Atlantic region, Weis Markets, announced on its Facebook page Saturday that its 201 locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia and Virginia would be closed on Sunday.
– Betty Lin-Fisher
Two men in northwest Louisiana have died of hypothermia related to the winter storm, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed. The deaths occurred in Caddo Parish, an area in the westernmost tip of the state where freezing rain and ice accumulation have created dangerous travel conditions and led to scattered power outages.
Officials anticipate power restoration in some areas to be slow do to hazardous road conditions, and are warning residents to check on vulnerable neighbors and use safe heating sources to remain warm.
Annie Yuen, 23, was traveling from Dallas to Guatemala when her Friday night flight was delayed, then stalled by worsening conditions. “And then by the time we got out of the gate, we were getting ready to taxi, that’s when the frost started hitting,” she told USA TODAY. “So we had to spend some time de-icing the plane.” After pilots timed out, her 8:12 p.m. departure was pushed to the next morning, and passengers sat on the plane for more than three hours before finally taking off.
Thousands of flights have been canceled as the storm moves east. On Sunday alone, more than 10,200 U.S. flights were canceled and over 1,300 delayed as of 10:30 a.m. ET, according to FlightAware. Airports including Washington’s Reagan National, Raleigh-Durham, Baltimore and LaGuardia saw cancellation rates above 90%.
Airlines began canceling flights last week to aid recovery. “It’s about keeping the airport, the environment clean and ready,” said Delta Air Lines’ Chief of Operations John Laughter. While Managing Director of American Airlines’ Integrated Operations Center Suzanne Williamson noted, “The focus is really to recover as quickly as we can and do right by the customer.”
Travelers flying this weekend are urged to monitor alerts, consider rebooking early, and prepare for further disruptions.
– Nathan Diller
- The storm began in the west on Friday and snow is expected to continue to accumulate in Texas and areas in the Mississippi River Valley Sunday.
- Snow and sleet began to fall in the Mid-Atlantic states, from North Carolina to New York, early Sunday morning and is forecast to continue through Monday afternoon.
- New England will begin to see snowfall late Sunday morning through Tuesday. The region could see 18 inches of snow.
More than 20 states are under a winter storm warning or advisory, according to the National Weather Service. Here’s what the definitions mean.
Extreme cold watch – Issued when extremely dangerous cold conditions or wind chill values are possible, but the occurrence, location, and/or timing is still uncertain.
Winter storm warning – A significant combination of hazardous winter weather is occurring or imminent.
Winter storm watch – A potential for significant and hazardous winter weather exists within 48 hours.
Winter weather advisory – Issued for any amount of freezing rain or when 2 to 4 inches of snow, alone or in combination with other precipitation, is expected to cause a significant inconvenience.
How much snow has fallen so far?
Snow continues to fall across the United States on Sunday, Jan. 25, as bone-chilling temperatures have prompted hundreds of thousands to bundle up.
With snow sticking in some regions of the country, here’s an interactive map showing exactly where inches are piling up:
Where is the winter storm right now? See live weather map
What is Winter Storm Fern?
The Weather Channel identified the winter storm as “Winter Storm Fern” in its coverage and on social media. The TV network names storms that reach a certain threshold; however, the National Weather Service does not name winter storms.
The well-known international system is used to name hurricanes and tropical cyclones, as it’s not uncommon to have more than one hurricane or tropical storm moving at any given time. Without names, it could be confusing for meteorologists and the public who might be in harm’s way.
In an email to USA TODAY, the weather service said it has no plans to consider naming winter storms.
“Unlike tropical storms, winter storms are diverse with conditions that evolve throughout the storm’s life,” the weather service stated. “That is why our forecasts, watches and warnings focus on specific impacts such as wind conditions, snowfall, ice, temperature, visibility and other impacts.”
The winter weather over the United States shows the complexities that make winter storms different from the spinning cyclones that move in one direction. Roughly 30 states are under at least one kind of weather advisory, but they’re not really all part of the same storm system.
– Dinah Voyles Pulver and Doyle Rice
What to do if you lose power during winter storm?
If your power is knocked out, the American Red Cross suggests people be ready with emergency preparedness kits that include coolers, ice, water, flashlights and batteries, a first aid kit, a seven-day supply of medications and more.
Impacted households should also keep track of food throughout the duration of the outage. If power is out for less than two hours, perishable food should still be safe to consume. However, after four hours without power, the food in the fridge should be discarded.
Staying warm during a power outage can also be challenging; however, avoiding opening and closing doors can help, as it prevents losing heat. Staying in one room with your family and pets is also a strategy to keep warm, as it will help retain body heat. Regardless of how cold it gets, it is not recommended to use a stove or oven to heat your home, as gas ovens pose a dangerous carbon monoxide that can lead to poisoning or death.
-Jonathan Limehouse
