Kamal Ghorui
A massive winter storm swept across large parts of the United States, leaving at least 30 people dead, knocking out power to thousands of homes and paralysing transport networks. From the Deep South to the Northeast, communities are grappling with record snowfall, dangerous ice accumulation and life-threatening cold that forecasters warn is not over yet.The sprawling system dumped more than a foot of snow across a wide corridor from Arkansas to New England, while ice storms in the South caused damage more commonly associated with hurricanes. By Monday evening, more than 560,000 homes remained without electricity, with the heaviest outages concentrated in southern states unaccustomed to prolonged winter extremes.Air travel was thrown into chaos, schools shut down, and major roads became treacherous as wind chills in some areas plunged to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rising death toll amid extreme cold
Fatalities linked to the storm have been reported across multiple states, reflecting the wide range of hazards created by the severe weather. At least 30 have been killed, according to report from Associated Press.Authorities said two people were struck and killed by snowplows in Massachusetts and Ohio. Teenagers died in sledding accidents in Arkansas and Texas. In New York City, eight people were found dead outdoors during the frigid weekend, though officials said investigations were still under way to determine the exact causes of death and whether the victims were homeless.In Kansas, the body of a 28-year-old teacher was discovered in the snow after she left a bar without her coat or phone.New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said some of those who died had prior “interactions with the shelter system,” but did not provide details. As temperatures remain below freezing, the city has intensified efforts to move vulnerable people indoors.“Just because the storm has passed does not mean that the danger to homeless New Yorkers has passed,” Mamdani said Monday. “Outreach teams are only intensifying their efforts today to connect vulnerable New Yorkers to shelter.”Between Friday evening and Monday afternoon, eight people were found dead outside or later died in hospital, officials said. Outreach workers have been deployed across the city, targeting people recently discharged from hospitals or jails, those between housing, and individuals struggling with mental illness or wary of shelters.Andrew Chappotin, 41, who had been sleeping outdoors in Manhattan, described the brutal conditions. “I’ve been close to freezing to death, I’m pretty sure,” said Chappotin, who also advocates for homeless people with the Safety Net Activists at the Urban Justice Center. “It freezes you to where your brain stops working,” he added, as quoted by NYT.He eventually stayed with family in Brooklyn but said he planned to return to the streets, feeling he had overstayed his welcome.The city opened 10 additional drop-in warming centres at schools, and more than 200 people were brought into shelters from the streets as of Monday, according to City Hall. Officials said they could bring people indoors involuntarily if they were in imminent danger.“An individual who is not appropriately dressed, who is wet, who is unable to acknowledge” that there are real dangers — those are the people the city would take to the hospital, Molly Wasow Park, the commissioner of the Department of Social Services, said at a news conference Monday.
South reels from rare and crippling ice
While snow blanketed much of the country, parts of the South endured a destructive ice storm that officials described as among the worst in decades.Mississippi faced its most severe ice event since 1994. Governor Tate Reeves reported extensive damage to homes, businesses and roads, with fallen trees and power lines making many streets impassable.In Oxford, Mayor Robyn Tannehill said the scene was devastating, adding that “it looks like a tornado went down every street.” Ice-coated oaks and magnolias sagged under the weight, and many crashed onto houses, cars and utility lines, leaving residents stranded in freezing homes without power or transport to shelters.“We will get through this, but we’re not going to get through it today,” Reeves said Monday. “And we’re not going to get through it tomorrow. This is going to take time.”Nashville, Tennessee, was also hit hard. Ice coated trees and power lines, and uprooted trunks lay scattered across neighbourhoods. Nashville Electric Service said up to 230,000 customers lost power at the peak of the storm, the largest number of simultaneous outages in the utility’s history.Residents scrambled to cope. Real estate agent Tim Phillips in Oxford said, “It’s just one of those things that you try to prepare for, but this one was just unreal,” after his property was damaged by falling branches.In Nashville, Alex Murray checked into a hotel to protect a supply of breast milk for his infant daughter. “I know there’s many people that may not be able to find a place or pay for a place or anything like that, or travel. So, we were really fortunate,” he said.Plane crash kills 7At least seven people were killed and one crew member was seriously injured when a private business jet crashed during takeoff at Bangor International Airport in Maine on Sunday night, amid the winter weather battering parts of the United States.The Bombardier Challenger 600, carrying eight people, overturned and caught fire shortly after attempting to depart at about 7.45 pm local time. The Federal Aviation Administration said the injured crew member was taken to hospital, while the crash came amid powerful snowstorms that have disrupted air and road travel across the country.
Travel chaos and more cold ahead
The storm’s reach extended from New Mexico to Maine, with some areas north of Pittsburgh receiving up to 20 inches of snow. New York City recorded its snowiest day in years, with neighbourhood totals ranging from 8 to 15 inches.Air travel disruptions were widespread. More than 12,000 flights were delayed or cancelled on Monday alone. On Sunday, 45 per cent of flights in the US were cancelled, the highest cancellation rate since the start of the Covid pandemic, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.Despite the system moving northeast, forecasters warned that conditions would remain dangerous. A fresh Arctic air mass is expected to keep temperatures well below freezing across many affected areas, raising concerns about prolonged power outages, icy roads and continued risk for people without adequate shelter.Relief, officials cautioned, will be slow, with some communities likely to face days of recovery before normal services are restored.
