Chris Dobrey was walking outside his home Sunday when he encountered fallen trees and thick ice covering power lines in his Greenwood, Mississippi, neighborhood.
“Mississippi’s ice storm is wreaking havoc,” Dobrey wrote in a Facebook post. “Power goes out, power lines are down, trees are literally snapping.”
He told CNN that “it could take several days” for power to be restored. In the meantime, he uses a gas fireplace for heat.
Dobry’s experience brings us to the heartbreaking aftermath of a massive winter storm that dumped snow and ice across the United States, killed more than a dozen people, and knocked out power to more than 1 million customers at its peak in bone-chilling temperatures.
See in photos: Monster winter storm hits US
At least 12 storm- and cold-related deaths were reported in Massachusetts, Tennessee, Kansas, New York, Texas, Louisiana and Michigan.
Ice from the storm caused widespread power outages across the southern United States, particularly in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Meanwhile, more than 200 million people are under severe cold alert as frigid temperatures continue for several days, with dire conditions expected to continue until later this week. The bitter cold is setting new records for daily minimum temperatures across the plains. More records are expected in the South and East as the cold weather continues through at least this week.
The most severe infrastructure damage occurred across the south, where ice slicked roads, snapped tree branches and weighed down power lines. The recovery period is expected to be long, especially in northern Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee, due to the large number of downed trees and power lines.
As of noon Monday, about 750,000 electricity customers were without power, including 250,000 in Tennessee, more than 150,000 in Mississippi, and more than 120,000 in Louisiana.
Trees and power lines still standing could snap within days due to the continued stress of the ice itself. A half-inch of ice (recorded by 12 states during this storm) can add up to 500 pounds to power lines.
High winds can also push trees and power lines to breaking point. Wind gusts of up to 35 mph are possible in parts of the Southeast on Monday.
The storm’s wide scope means many parts of the country are dealing with its aftermath in some way. Snow fell in just over 56% of the Lower 48 on Monday, with at least a foot of snow falling in 18 states, from New Mexico to Maine.
Just over 11 inches of snow was recorded in New York City’s Central Park, setting a powder record that inspired Olympic snowboarder Shaun White’s bravery.
Shaun White jumps over people in snowy New York
Road travel is dangerous and air travel will be largely halted on Sunday. Airlines canceled more than 11,600 flights on Sunday, the most canceled days since the coronavirus halted travel in March 2020, according to FlightAware. About 4,500 U.S. flights were canceled on Monday, affecting major airports from Dallas to Boston.
The Center for Weather Prediction had warned of “catastrophic ice accumulation” ahead of the storm, and that prediction held true in parts of the South.
Keith Heyward, CEO of the Northeast Mississippi Electric Power Association (NEMEPA), said in a social media post that repairs and restoration of north Mississippi’s power infrastructure will be “prolonged” due to extensive damage and dangerous conditions.
“The damage to trees and vegetation is devastating,” Hayward said.
More than 75% of NEMEPA’s customers, or about 24,000 businesses, remained without power in north Mississippi as of noon Monday, according to PowerOutage.US. The storm snapped utility poles and downed power lines throughout the region.
Hayward said this storm was worse than the historic 1994 Mississippi ice storm, which took 23 days to restore power. Modern upgrades may speed up repairs compared to 1994, but Mr Hayward warned that repairs would not be quick. Crew members temporarily suspended their work during the night for safety reasons.
In Tennessee, the storm caused the most power outages at one time in Nashville Power Service’s history, peaking at 230,000, the utility announced in an update on X Monday morning.
That’s more than the 200,000 power outages reached during the devastating May 2020 derecho, which was one of the city’s largest power outages on record.
The company announced Monday morning that it had restored power to 60,000 customers in the greater Nashville area, but an additional 175,000 customers were still without power. At least 97 power poles were reported to be down across the service area, and more than 70 power distribution circuits were down and are being restored.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
