US reels under snowstorm, more than 1 million customers without power: over 17000 flights cancelled
Washington DC, January 26
Heavy snowstorm has brought the US to a standstill, with over 190 million people under winter weather warnings and more than 1 million customers without power, across the mid-Atlantic and South. The storm has caused at least 7 deaths, including hypothermia cases in Louisiana and Texas, and exposure-related deaths in New York City, reported CNN.
According to CNN, the frigid cold will linger into the week, and the outages could last for days in places including Nashville and Mississippi.
It further noted that Sunday was the worst day for flight cancellations since the pandemic, as over 17,000 flights were cancelled during the storm.
Heavy snow and sleet fell in the populous Interstate 95 corridor, with cities, including Boston, expecting their heaviest snow in years.
As per the National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center, delays in aviation could continue to Monday.
Earlier, the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center cautioned of catastrophic ice impacts lingering farther south with prolonged power outages.
In the wake of the winter storm, the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shared that Trump has approved emergency declarations for 12 states covering nearly 900 counties and parishes and 4 tribal nations.
Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X that the Trump administration has worked around the clock with state and local governments ahead of this winter storm.
"Response to this storm has been locally executed, state-led and federally supported", she said.
Earlier, the National Weather Service said that the winter storm would sweep across the eastern two-thirds of the US over the weekend. Noting that sub-zero lows will spread from northern and central plains into the northeast through Sunday, NWS said that sub-freezing temperatures are expected each night as far south as the Gulf Coast.
It said that extremely cold temperatures would expand across the eastern two-thirds of the US, with very cold weather continuing through the next week, and advised preparing for the "life-threatening cold," as wind chills and prolonged cold could pose a risk of hypothermia and frostbite.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Reading about 17,000 flights cancelled is mind-boggling. I was supposed to travel for work from Delhi to Chicago this week, and my trip is now in complete limbo. The ripple effect on global travel is huge. Airlines and airports here in India are also scrambling with the knock-on delays.
It's heartbreaking to hear about the loss of life, especially from hypothermia. In a country with such advanced infrastructure, it's a wake-up call. Makes you think about our own disaster preparedness here during cyclones or extreme heatwaves. We could learn from their response coordination, but also their vulnerabilities.
The scale is unimaginable—190 million people under warning! That's more than the entire population of many countries. While we complain about a 2-hour power cut in summer, this is on another level. Hope the emergency declarations speed up help for those affected. Stay strong, America.
With all due respect, the article mentions the federal response, but one has to ask: is the infrastructure resilient enough? Texas faced similar grid failures a few years back. Investing in weather-proofing power grids seems crucial, not just for the US but for all nations facing climate extremes.
The "life-threatening cold" warning is no joke. We in North India think we know cold, but sub-zero temperatures across such a vast area for days is a different beast entirely. It shows climate change is bringing extreme weather to everyone's doorstep. Global solidarity in these times is key.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.