A major winter storm, named Winter Storm Fern, is sweeping across the United States, bringing heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain to a vast area. More than 140 million Americans are under winter storm warnings, with 16 states and Washington DC declaring states of emergency. The storm has already caused widespread power outages, with over 130,000 customers without electricity as of Saturday afternoon.
Three people were found dead on New York City streets on Saturday due to freezing temperatures. A 67-year-old man was discovered on a sidewalk in Manhattan, and two others—a man in his 30s and a woman in her 60s—were found in Brooklyn. All three deaths were attributed to weather-related circumstances.
Travel has been severely disrupted, with nearly 14,000 flights cancelled through Monday. Roads across the Midwest and South are treacherous due to ice accumulation. In Arkansas, Interstate 40 was at a standstill due to accidents, and many vehicles were stuck on Interstate 30 near Little Rock. Ice and sleet have affected northern Texas and central Mississippi, with ice forming on roads and bridges in a third of Mississippi's counties.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned of “catastrophic ice accumulation” from the southern plains to the mid-Atlantic and south-east, particularly where freezing rain exceeds half an inch. Parts of northern Louisiana, central and northern Mississippi, southern Tennessee, and the southern Appalachians could see over an inch of ice. Heavy snow is expected across the Ohio valley, mid-Atlantic, and north-east, with totals exceeding 12 inches in some areas.
After the storm passes, bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills are forecast to persist, slowing recovery efforts. The NWS has urged the public to take the storm seriously, as power outages are certain in many areas, and travel will remain hazardous.
