Deadly Winter Storm Update: 15 dead as temperatures plunge, 200 million people are under alert

US winter storm - Millions without power in Texas. Photo: USAToday

The storm is expected to move out through the Northeast late Tuesday, leaving a trail of heavy snow and ice in its path. Temperatures are expected to rise as it moves, though record cold mornings and afternoons will linger through Saturday. Millions are bracing for temperatures that feel below zero through late in the week, CNN report.

A sprawling blast of winter weather across the U.S. plunged Texas into an unusually snowy emergency Monday that knocked out power for more than 2 million people, shut down grocery stores and air travel and closed schools ahead of frigid days still to come.

As nightfall threatened to plummet temperatures again into single digits, officials warned that homes still without power would likely not have heat until at least Tuesday, as frustration mounted and the state’s electric grid came under growing demand and criticism.

“Things will likely get worse before they get better,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in the county of nearly 5 million people around Houston, Edition cited.

Texas among the worst-hit states

Photo: Accuweather

More than 150 million people were under a winter storm warning, winter weather advisory or ice storm warning in 25 states, stretching over 2,000 miles from southern Texas to northern Maine, the National Weather Service said.

The storm was forecast to continue to cover parts of the Midwest and Northeast with heavy snow into Tuesday morning before receding later in the day.

At least 15 dead as temperatures plunge across southern Plains

Photo: Newsweek

At least 15 deaths have been linked to a dangerous winter storm system that's endangering lives and breaking records across the country, where an unusually snowy emergency Monday knocked out power for more than four million people, shut down grocery stores and air travel and closed schools ahead of frigid days still to come.

As nightfall threatened to plummet temperatures again into single digits, officials warned that homes still without power would likely not have heat until at least Tuesday, as frustration mounted and the state’s electric grid came under growing demand and criticism.

Law enforcement reported two men were found dead along Houston-area roadways. Causes of death were pending, but officials said the subfreezing temperatures were likely to blame, Apnews noted.

Covid-19 Vaccinations postponed

Photo: Dallasnews

The toll of the worsening conditions included the delivery of new COVID-19 vaccine shipments, which were expected to be delayed until at least midweek. Massive power outages across Houston included a facility storing 8,000 doses of Moderna vaccine, leaving health officials scrambling to find takers at the same time authorities were pleading for people to stay home, Chicago Tribune reported.

Of the 8,430 vaccines taken from the Harris County Public Health Department, 1,000 were sent to Methodist Hospital, and 810 to Rice University, Hidalgo said. Another 600 vaccines were split between LBJ and Ben Taub Hospitals and 3,000 were sent to the Harris County Jail.

Hidalgo said 3,020 vaccines have gone back into storage based on guidance from Moderna.

Snow and Dangerous wind chills

Seattle has already reported more than 11 inches of snow over the weekend, the most since January 1972. More than 50 inches of snow has fallen in parts of Wyoming over the past few days.

A tornado was reported in Brunswick County, North Carolina, and rescue teams were dispatched to search for missing persons, according to CNN.

Dangerous wind chills have been recorded in Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas, according to the National Weather Service in Pueblo, Colorado. Wind chills ranging from 42 degrees below zero near Yuma, Colorado, to 25 degrees below zero near Norton, Kansas, were reported late Sunday evening.

More than 6 inches of snow has fallen from East Texas to Ohio, with some areas picking up more than a foot. Heavy snow could reach areas downwind of Lake Erie and Ontario as the system exits New England through Tuesday evening.

By that time, there is the potential for nearly 200 more cold temperature records to have been broken.

President Joe Biden's response

The southern Plains had been gearing up for the winter weather for the better part of the weekend. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for all of the state’s 254 counties. Abbott, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson each activated National Guard units to assist state agencies with tasks including rescuing stranded drivers.

President Joe Biden also declared an emergency in Texas in a statement Sunday night. The declaration is intended to add federal aid to state and local response efforts.

Power and water shutoff According CNN, Dropping temperatures have frozen or overworked power sources, leaving nearly 5 million people in the dark as of early Tuesday morning. Customers affected were primarily spread across Oregon, Texas, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, according to Poweroutage.US. Though rolling power outages are not planned for Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards said they could happen if the power generation is unable to keep up with the demand. Edwards said this will be the coldest weather Louisiana has experienced in several decades, and that about 125,000 households have lost power, some for over 12 hours. In Abilene, Texas, the approximately 123,000 residents are also without water due to power outages. All three water treatment plants in the city had to be shut off when both of their power sources went out, according to a statement from the City of Abilene.

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