United States has recently experienced the strongest winter storm in decades, which has resulted in 35 fatalities nationwide and still leaves 530,000 homes without electricity.
This storm, named “Fern,” is an extreme weather phenomenon that covered two-thirds of the country with snow and ice over the weekend.
This created dangerous conditions that led to the death of 35 individuals and continue to affect millions of people.
For now, alerts for extreme cold continue in much of the country, and the National Weather Service of the United States expects new winter storms for the coming weekend.
The fatalities of the winter storm in the U.S.
The winter storm that hit the United States caused deaths in multiple states due to hypothermia, traffic accidents, and snowplow collisions.
In particular, New York was the state with the most victims: it recorded nine deaths, eight in the city and one in Long Island. Meanwhile, Tennessee reported five victims.
The mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, confirmed that eight people died in open spaces in the city.
The spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office, Dora Pekec, explained: “We cannot yet confirm the cause of the deaths, but we can say that the deceased were all outside.”
Other affected states include Texas; with six deaths, and Pennsylvania; with four, three of them while clearing snow, according to the county coroner.
Among the most tragic cases is that of three siblings aged six, eight, and nine who died in Texas after falling into a frozen pond.
In the same state, two teenagers died: one after a vehicle lost control on the snow and another in a sledding accident.
In Massachusetts, a woman was killed by a snowplow in a public parking lot, while her husband was injured in the incident.
Iowa also counts two victims, while in Kansas a woman was found under the snow.
Most of the fatalities occurred due to freezing from prolonged exposure to extreme cold or accidents related to the winter storm in the U.S.
Energy crisis in multiple states due to snow
Currently, more than 530,000 homes remain without power after the winter storm in the United States damaged infrastructure in several states.
Tennessee leads the outages with more than 172,000 homes disconnected, followed by Mississippi with 140,000 and Louisiana with 99,200 affected households.
East coast states like Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia report between 20,000 and 40,000 families without access to the power grid.
The governor of Mississippi, Tate Reeves, reported severe damage to at least 14 homes and 20 public roads, describing the event as the worst ice storm since 1994.
The governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, warned about the risks: “Being outdoors for just ten minutes could result in frostbite or hypothermia.”
Thousands of families had to be evacuated to heated shelters, especially in southern states less prepared for extreme cold.
Chaos in airports and transportation due to the winter storm in the United States
The transportation sector suffered massive disruptions during the winter storm in the United States.
This Tuesday, 1,851 flights were canceled and 2,900 were delayed, according to the FlightAware portal. Since the storm began on Saturday, around 20,000 flights have been canceled nationwide.
The most affected airports by delays include:
- John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York
- O’Hare International Airport in Chicago
- Boston Airport
The terminals with the most cancellations were Dallas-Fort Worth International, Charlotte-Douglas International, and Miami.
The Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, stated in an interview with Fox News that he expects to return to normal by Wednesday.
The Arctic cold persists in the United States with new alerts
This Tuesday, extreme temperatures keep much of the country below freezing.
In inland areas, highs hover around -5 °C (23 °F), while lows feel below -20 °C (-4 °F) in some states with the Arctic air.
According to projections, New York will not reach 0 degrees (32 °F) until next Monday.
Lows will range between -11 °C (12 °F) and -18 °C (0 °F) throughout the week, maintaining dangerous conditions for the population.
The National Weather Service of the United States also maintains extreme cold alerts from Texas to Pennsylvania and warns that new winter storms are expected for the coming weekend.
In northern Florida localities, thermometers could drop to -4 °C, while the wind chill in other regions could reach -29 °C.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency in at least ten states.
The city of New York closed its school system due to the snowfall of 38 centimeters in some neighborhoods, the largest accumulation in years.
Additionally, universities like Mississippi suspended classes due to dangerous ice on their campuses.
The National Weather Service described the phenomenon as “monstrous,” extending its impact from Texas and Arkansas to New York and Massachusetts.
The winter storm in the United States covered a strip of more than 2000 kilometers with snow and ice, creating one of the most severe climate emergencies in recent years.
