U.S. Historic Winter Storm Claims Twenty-Eight Lives

(MENAFN) At least 28 fatalities linked to extreme weather conditions emerged Monday following a colossal winter storm that blanketed dozens of states with heavy snowfall throughout the weekend, triggering mass electrical failures, aviation disruptions and educational shutdowns nationwide.

Casualties included two individuals struck by snowplows in Massachusetts and Ohio, plus fatal sledding incidents in Arkansas and Texas. In New York City, authorities reported eight people discovered deceased outside as nighttime temperatures nosedived.

Spanning from Massachusetts in the northeast to Texas in the south, roadways transformed into treacherous ice sheets concealed beneath snow accumulations frequently exceeding 30 cm. Multiple southern regions experienced winter severity unprecedented in generations.

Approximately 700,000 utility customers stretching from the mid-Atlantic through southern states remained without electricity as of 4 p.m. Eastern Time Monday, per poweroutage.com. The bulk of outages concentrated across southern territories, with Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana suffering most acutely as freezing precipitation caused tree branches and electrical infrastructure to fracture, delivering devastating service interruptions.

Aviation operations faced severe disruption, with over 12,500 domestic flights scrubbed Sunday—the highest single-day cancellation figure since the COVID-19 pandemic commenced in 2020.

By Monday afternoon, more than 5,200 flights operating into, from and within the United States were cancelled while over 6,600 experienced delays, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.

Ground holds plagued major hubs due to snow or ice accumulation, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he hopes airports will be "back to normal" by Wednesday.

Throughout New York City, all public educational institutions suspended in-person instruction Monday, transitioning students to remote learning environments.

Though the storm system was projected to move offshore into the Atlantic Monday, Arctic air masses were advancing behind it, extending sub-freezing conditions several additional days, the National Weather Service stated.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced that he is extending the state's severe cold weather protocol to Feb. 5 as the forecast predicted overnight single-digit temperatures over the next 10 days. Lamont said this was the longest such protocol in the state in over a decade.

MENAFN27012026000045017169ID1110654352