At least 35 fatalities have been documented in states across the United States hit by harsh cold weather, as stated by local authorities. The National Weather Service issued alerts for extreme and perilous cold conditions on Tuesday morning spanning from Texas to Pennsylvania, with some regions expecting wind chills as low as minus -29 degrees Celsius. Much of the U.S. was projected to remain below freezing throughout Tuesday, with temperatures set to drop further overnight. In northern Florida, thermometers were predicted to plummet to -3.9 degrees Celsius late on Tuesday into early Wednesday.
The severe cold persisted following weekend and Monday storms that blanketed over 2,100 kilometers from Arkansas to New England with heavy snow and left parts of the South covered in hazardous ice. Lisa Patterson had originally intended to stay at her family’s residence in Nashville when the massive winter storm hit the Northeast and parts of the South over the weekend. However, after losing power, having trees fall on their driveway, and realizing their wood stove couldn’t combat the freezing temperatures, Patterson and her husband, along with their dog, had to be rescued and relocated to a warming shelter.
Among numerous families in Tennessee and other Southern regions seeking refuge in warming shelters, crews toiled to restore power to hundreds of thousands of households as a fresh wave of arctic air was expected to bring freezing temperatures on Tuesday to areas already blanketed in snow and ice.
Tragic incidents included the deaths of three brothers aged six, eight, and nine in Texas who perished on Monday after falling through ice on a private pond near Bonham. In Massachusetts and Ohio, two individuals were fatally struck by snowplows, while sledding accidents claimed the lives of teenagers in Arkansas and Texas. Additionally, a woman was discovered deceased under snow in Kansas, and in New York City, eight individuals were found dead outdoors during the frigid weekend.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear cautioned that the plummeting temperatures could lead to frostbite or hypothermia with as little as 10 minutes of exposure outdoors. Forecasters also suggested the possibility of another winter storm hitting parts of the East Coast over the upcoming weekend.
As of Tuesday morning, there were approximately 550,000 power outages nationwide, with a significant concentration in the South due to freezing rain causing tree limbs and power lines to snap, resulting in widespread outages in northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee. Authorities indicated that it could take days before power is fully restored.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves disclosed that at least 14 homes and 20 public roads suffered major damage following the state’s worst ice storm since 1994. The University of Mississippi suspended classes for the entire week as its Oxford campus remained encased in perilous ice. New York City saw a surge in snowfall, with neighborhoods reporting between 20 to 38 centimeters of snow, prompting the closure of the nation’s largest public school system.
In Nashville, Nathan Hoffner sent his four-year-old son to stay with his son’s mother after their rental property lost power on Sunday afternoon. Hoffner and his roommate layered up with clothing and multiple blankets through the night, with the indoor temperature dramatically dropping by the next morning.
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