More than 1 million people have been left without power and at least 13 people have died during a massive winter storm that has sown chaos across the South and the Midwest and is now barreling toward the East Coast.
Over 200 million Americans were under some form of weather alert as of Sunday morning. The storm’s rare combination of heavy snow, sleet, ice, and Arctic air has created dangerously low wind chills, reaching minus-20s to minus-30s in parts of the South and Midwest. Record-breaking temperatures were reported in Copenhagen, New York, where Gov. Kathy Hochul said it reached -49°F. States including Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky, unaccustomed to such snowfall, have been particularly hard hit.
Travel disruptions have been severe. More than 16,000 flights were canceled from Saturday through Monday, with around 11,000 grounded on Sunday alone—the largest single-day disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic. Reagan Washington National Airport canceled all flights Sunday, while New York’s LaGuardia Airport reopened later in the day, though operations were not expected to resume until Monday morning.
President Donald Trump called the storm “historic” and approved federal disaster declarations for South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia. By Saturday afternoon, 17 states and the District of Columbia had declared weather emergencies. “We just ask that everyone would be smart – stay home if possible,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said.
The storm reached New England on Sunday, with the National Weather Service warning of up to 20 inches of snow in some areas, including Boston. Parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Pennsylvania have already recorded up to 31 inches of snow. Officials caution that extreme cold will follow, creating icy roads and freezing powerlines, prolonging hazardous travel and infrastructure disruptions.
The storm has already claimed lives in multiple states. Two people died in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, one in Austin, Texas, one in Emporia, Kansas, one in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and three in Tennessee. In New York City, at least five people were found dead outdoors as wind chills dropped below zero. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced remote learning for schools and opened warming centers and shelters for vulnerable residents. “While we do not yet know their causes of death, there is no more powerful reminder of the dangers of the extreme cold,” Mamdani said, urging residents to take precautions.
Authorities from Atlanta to Boston have been salting roads and transit routes ahead of the storm. In Philadelphia, SEPTA warned that some services could be suspended, while Atlanta’s MARTA limited operations to lifeline bus routes to hospitals and emergency facilities.
The massive winter storm underscores the widespread vulnerability of communities to extreme weather, leaving millions reliant on emergency shelters and power restoration teams while conditions remain hazardous across much of the country.
