At least 28 weather-related deaths were recorded across various US states due to a severe winter storm that brought heavy snowfall, leading to power outages, flight disruptions, and school closures. Tragic incidents included individuals being struck by snowplows in Massachusetts and Ohio, as well as fatal sledding accidents in Arkansas and Texas. In New York City, eight people were found dead outdoors amid plummeting temperatures.
The storm left roads frozen and covered in over 30 cm of snow from Massachusetts to Texas, with some southern states experiencing unprecedented winter conditions. Nearly 700,000 customers in the mid-Atlantic and Southern regions were left without power, primarily in states like Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana, where freezing rain caused significant damage to power lines and tree limbs.
Air travel was severely impacted, with over 12,500 US flights canceled on Sunday, marking the highest number of cancellations in a day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. By Monday afternoon, more than 5,200 flights were canceled, and over 6,600 faced delays, affecting travel within and to the United States. Major airports reported ground delays due to snow and ice, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressed hope for a return to normalcy at airports by Wednesday. In New York City, all public schools were closed on Monday, shifting to remote learning for students. While the storm was expected to move away from the East Coast into the Atlantic, an Arctic air mass following it would sustain sub-freezing temperatures for several more days, according to the National Weather Service.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont extended the state’s severe cold weather protocol due to forecasts of single-digit overnight temperatures for the next 10 days. This extension, lasting until February 5, marks the longest such protocol in Connecticut in over a decade.
