Over 1 Million Lose Power as Historic Winter Storm Hits U.S.
A historic winter storm swept across the United States over the weekend, leaving more than 1 million Americans without electricity and causing widespread travel disruptions.
Tennessee was the hardest-hit state, with approximately 306,700 customers experiencing outages, followed by Mississippi (~175,300), Louisiana (~145,100), Texas (~93,000), and Georgia (~80,700), according to PowerOutage.us. Significant outages were also reported in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Alabama.
The storm, spanning roughly 2,000 miles, is expected to peak Sunday, with heavy snowfall forecasted from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast through Monday. Ice accumulation has downed power lines, straining the U.S. power grid and prompting emergency measures.
The Department of Energy (DOE) issued orders allowing ERCOT in Texas to deploy backup generators and authorized PJM Interconnection in the Mid-Atlantic to operate certain power resources despite regulatory restrictions.
Travel disruptions were severe, with FlightAware reporting over 10,000 U.S. flight cancellations on Sunday alone. Airlines issued waivers, and authorities urged travelers to stay updated as conditions worsen.
President Trump approved federal emergency disaster declarations for 13 states, including South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and others. Federal and state agencies are coordinating to ensure public safety during the ongoing storm.
Source: foxbusiness.com
