A colossal winter storm, named Fern, has wreaked unprecedented havoc across the United States, with initial estimates projecting a staggering financial toll exceeding $100 billion. The tempest, which unleashed its fury from Friday through Sunday night, has been linked to at least sixteen tragic fatalities while paralysing infrastructure and daily life from the Southern Plains to the Northeast.
Unprecedented Financial and Human Toll
AccuWeather forecasters now anticipate the storm's total cost to the nation will fall between $105 billion and $115 billion. Should these projections hold, Winter Storm Fern would rank as the costliest severe weather event since the devastating Los Angeles wildfires of the previous year. This colossal figure encompasses extensive property damage to homes and businesses, severe disruptions to national commerce and intricate supply chains, significant losses in tourism revenue, impacts on shipping operations, financial damages from prolonged power failures, major travel delays, and widespread infrastructure harm.
Tragically, the storm's human cost is profound, with authorities confirming at least sixteen lives lost. Reports detail fatalities across multiple states including New York, Louisiana, Arkansas, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, and Kansas. In a particularly heartbreaking incident in Frisco, Texas, a 16-year-old girl died in a sledding accident, while another was left with life-threatening injuries. Other casualties include a former NYPD officer who died while shovelling snow at a church on Long Island and a beloved elementary school teacher in Kansas found deceased in a snow pile.
Widespread Power Failures and Travel Chaos
The storm's aftermath left a trail of crippling utility failures and transport standstills. According to data from PowerOutage.us, nearly 830,000 customers were without electricity in the early hours of Monday. The state of Tennessee was hardest hit, with approximately 258,000 power outages reported. The Nashville Electric Service warned residents that restoration efforts could take several days due to ice-laden trees snapping and bringing down power lines.
Air travel faced monumental disruption, with FlightAware reporting over 11,500 flight cancellations across the US on Sunday alone, and a further 3,500 already cancelled for Monday morning. Major airports including Ronald Reagan National Airport and New York City's LaGuardia were effectively shut down, while hubs in New York, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, saw cancellation rates exceed 80 percent. The severe conditions even forced a private jet carrying eight passengers to crash during takeoff from Bangor International Airport in Maine, though the extent of any injuries remains unclear.
Record Snowfall and Perilous Conditions
Winter Storm Fern deposited a foot or more of snow across at least seventeen states, stretching from New Mexico to New Hampshire. The highest accumulation was recorded at Bonito Lake, New Mexico, with 31 inches of slush, according to the National Weather Service. Significant totals were also seen in western Pennsylvania, with 20 inches, while Boston experienced its largest snowstorm in nearly four years, receiving between one and two feet of snow across the region.
The storm brought not only snow but also dangerous icy conditions, particularly across the southern states. Mississippi experienced its worst ice storm since 1994, prompting its largest-ever deployment of ice-melting chemicals. Governor Tate Reeves urged residents to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary. Icy layers up to an inch thick toppled trees and power lines across the South, while wind chill factors plunged temperatures 10 to 40 degrees below average for nearly 136 million Americans, threatening to refreeze roads and leading to widespread school and government office closures.
Emergency Responses and Federal Action
In response to the crisis, emergency measures were activated at state and federal levels. New York Governor Kathy Hochul mobilised National Guard troops to assist in New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley. This followed weather emergency declarations in seventeen states and the District of Columbia on Saturday.
At the federal level, the Department of Energy issued orders to help stabilise power grids. In Texas, it directed the state grid manager to utilise backup generation at high-energy-consumption facilities like data centres to prevent blackouts, as 63,000 customers were without power. A similar emergency order was issued for the mid-Atlantic region's grid operator to run specified resources without regard to typical environmental permit limits.
Despite the dangers, some citizens found moments of respite, with images emerging of people skiing and sledding in iconic locations like New York's Central Park and Washington DC's National Mall. However, officials nationwide continue to implore the public to exercise extreme caution, stay off treacherous roads, and prepare for a prolonged and challenging recovery from one of the most significant winter weather events in recent memory.
