Historic Winter Storm Disrupts Travel, Leaves Hundreds of thousands Without Power
A massive winter storm is sweeping across the eastern two-thirds of the United States, causing widespread travel chaos and leaving over 160,000 homes and businesses without electricity. The storm,described as “historic” by officials,threatens to paralyze several states with heavy snowfall,ice accumulation,and dangerously cold temperatures.
Widespread Disruptions and Emergency Declarations
More than 4,000 flights scheduled for Saturday were canceled, and over 9,400 flights originally planned for Sunday have already been scrapped, according to flight tracking site FlightAware. Major airlines are urging passengers to check for updates as the situation remains fluid. Delta Air Lines is making schedule changes, particularly in Atlanta and along the East coast, including Boston and New York City, and has repositioned staff from colder regions to assist with de-icing efforts. JetBlue has canceled approximately 1,000 flights through Monday, with the possibility of further disruptions, while United Airlines preemptively canceled flights in areas expected to be hardest hit.
In response to the escalating crisis, President Donald Trump approved federal disaster emergency declarations for South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia on Saturday. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have now declared weather emergencies, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Power Outages and Grid Concerns
The storm has already plunged over 160,000 U.S.customers into darkness, with Louisiana and Texas experiencing the most significant outages as of Saturday evening. “We have tens of thousands of people in the affected southern states who have lost electricity,” a senior official stated. “We have teams of technicians working to restore service as quickly as possible.”
The U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order authorizing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to utilize backup generation resources at data centers and other critical facilities to mitigate potential blackouts. Dominion Energy, which operates the largest concentration of data centers globally in Virginia, warned that the impending icy conditions could represent one of the most severe winter events in the companyS history.
Power grid operators are taking heightened precautions to prevent rotating blackouts, recognizing the strain the extreme weather will place on infrastructure.
The severity of this winter storm underscores the increasing vulnerability of critical infrastructure to extreme weather events, and highlights the importance of preparedness and resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Why is this happening? A potent combination of Arctic air plunging south and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico created ideal conditions for widespread snow, sleet, and freezing rain.Who is affected? Over 160,000 homes and businesses across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. are without power, and millions more face travel disruptions. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have declared emergencies. What is the impact? Widespread flight cancellations, power outages, and dangerous travel conditions are impacting daily life. The storm is also straining the power grid, raising concerns about potential blackouts. How did it end? As of Sunday evening,the storm began to move eastward,but lingering effects,including freezing temperatures and icy conditions,are expected to persist into Monday. Restoration efforts are underway, but full recovery will take time.
“It’s going to be very,very cold,” warned a government spokesperson during a news conference.
