WASHINGTON, D.C. – A powerful winter storm sweeping across the United States has left at least three people dead, triggered widespread power outages and brought transport networks to a standstill, as forecasters warn that life-threatening conditions could persist for days.
The storm, driven by an Arctic air mass linked to the polar vortex, has stretched from Texas to New England, dumping heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across large swathes of the country.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the dangerous conditions could affect up to 180 million people — more than half of the US population.
Health officials in Louisiana confirmed that two men died from hypothermia after prolonged exposure to the cold, while authorities in Texas reported an exposure-related death in Austin.
In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at least five people had died over the weekend, although the causes were still under investigation.
“This is a reminder that every year New Yorkers succumb to the cold,” Mamdani said in a post on X.
As of Sunday afternoon, nearly 900,000 homes and businesses were without electricity, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us.
Utility crews across multiple states were struggling to restore supply amid icy conditions that have brought down trees and power lines.
Air and road travel were also heavily disrupted. FlightAware reported that more than 10,000 flights had been cancelled, while hundreds of schools and government offices shut their doors in anticipation of worsening weather.
In Virginia alone, local media reported more than 200 vehicle crashes as ice made roads treacherous.
Meteorologists say the greatest danger from the storm is freezing rain, a phenomenon in which rain freezes instantly on contact with surfaces, creating a layer of ice that can cripple infrastructure.
“The snow and ice will be very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder recovery efforts,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Several states have declared emergencies, including the nation’s capital, Washington DC, where Mayor Muriel Bowser described the event as the city’s biggest snowstorm in a decade.
The US Senate also postponed a scheduled vote as lawmakers grappled with travel disruptions.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned residents to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel, describing the conditions as “bone-chilling and dangerous”.
“This is the coldest winter storm we’ve seen in years. An Arctic siege has taken over our state and many others,” Hochul said, adding that the cold snap could be the longest and most intense in recent memory.
States in the southern US, including Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee, are experiencing temperatures 15 to 20 degrees Celsius below seasonal averages — an unusual and dangerous shift for regions less accustomed to prolonged freezing conditions. Ice accretions of up to an inch are forecast in some areas.
Weather experts say the storm was fuelled by a weakening polar vortex, allowing frigid Arctic air to plunge southward and collide with warmer air, creating intense storm systems.
While the system is expected to push north and east by midweek, forecasters warn that dangerously cold temperatures could linger into early February.
Some scientists note that climate change may be influencing polar vortex behaviour, as warming sea surface temperatures disrupt traditional weather patterns and increase the likelihood of extreme cold outbreaks.
