Swathes of the U.S. shuddered under an unrelenting winter storm’s fury, with freezing precipitation and snowfalls derailing normalcy and prompting emergency declarations in more than 20 states. Power failures darkened over 132,000 homes as subzero chills dominated.
Impacting 37 states and 190 million people, the system roared from Rocky Mountains to New England. Sleet and ice ravaged New Mexico to Tennessee Valley; blizzards pounded Midwest and Mid-Atlantic zones. Wind chills plunged to minus 20-30 degrees across central and eastern U.S., temperatures lagging 10-40 degrees behind averages per the Weather Service.
Ice-laden power lines failed spectacularly, outages peaking in the South and Southwest. By Saturday, Texas had 57,000 customers in the dark, Louisiana 45,000—northern parts hardest hit.
Aviation chaos ensued: 9,000+ weekend cancellations, Sunday eyed as historic low for weather-related disruptions. Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte, Nashville airports overwhelmed.
Emergencies declared rapidly in Texas, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Carolinas, Virginia, sundry Midwestern/Southern states, and D.C. President Trump’s federal nods empowered FEMA assistance.
Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem called for local adherence: ‘State and local managers handle the response; federal support backs them up.’ Twelve states mobilized National Guard for plowing, rescues, community aid.
In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster cautioned of days-long outages from ice buildup. Weather officials hailed it as the gravest in two decades regionally; Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger: ‘Very destructive.’ D.C. feds closed Monday, max telework; New Jersey public transit paused.
Spotlight fell on Texas power strains. Improvement hinted next week, though Northeast and Great Lakes linger in cold. Heed advice: shelter in place, curb travel, brace for prolonged issues.