Catastrophic winter storm in the USA. Hundreds of thousands without power, thousands of flights cancelled

Nearly one million people without electricity, thousands of cancelled flights and at least 11 fatalities – this is the toll of the winter storm that has been paralyzing the eastern part of the United States since Sunday, 25 January 2026. Forecasts indicate that as many as 220 million residents of the country may feel its effects.

An Arctic onslaught on an unprecedented scale

As early as Friday, 23 January, the US National Weather Service (NWS) warned of the arrival of a powerful polar vortex. Winter storm Fern first struck Texas and New Mexico, then expanded across successive states all the way to New England. According to Allison Santorelli of the NWS, the freezing cataclysm already spans about 3,200 km – the largest extent in at least two decades.

The storm is accompanied by sub-zero temperatures, sleet, freezing rain and heavy snowfall. NOAA data show that a record was recorded at Bonito Lake in New Mexico, where as much as 78 cm of snow has fallen since Sunday. In Colorado, the snow cover reached nearly 60 cm, while more than 40 cm was measured locally in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Along the Atlantic coast, a major problem is the layer of ice accumulating on streets and sidewalks, which in some places already exceeds 2 cm.

Dramatic consequences of the freezing cataclysm

Winter storm Fern is causing deaths related to hypothermia – in the village of Copenhagen, New York State, thermometers showed -49°C. Temperatures of around -20°C are being observed from West Texas through Illinois, Missouri and Mississippi. In New York, five people have already frozen to death, and two further victims of hypothermia were found in Louisiana.

By Monday morning, 23 US states had declared a state of emergency. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem informed the media about the deployment of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) teams to the areas most affected by the storm. They are accompanied by specialized search and rescue units, and food is also being distributed.

Ice and snow have paralyzed transport, which will hinder the supply of residents in the coming days. Flightaware.com reports at least 17,000 cancelled flights and 20,000 delayed ones. In many regions, a ban on heavy truck traffic is in force.

Power outages, according to various estimates, have affected as many as 800,000 to 1 million citizens. In-person classes in schools have been cancelled, and a large number of companies have advised employees to stay at home until Tuesday. For safety reasons, street-cleaning technical crews have also been suspended in many towns, as they are threatened by cracking and falling trees. In four states, Waffle House restaurants have been closed; these establishments are famous for operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and their closure index is already considered by FEMA to be an informal element in assessing cataclysms.

The winter storm will last into February

New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned state residents to prepare for the worst, as storm Fern is expected to be record-breaking in terms of duration and snowfall totals. Today, snowfall rates of 5 cm per hour are forecast in New England and the Northeast. An additional threat is the so-called lake effect, meaning snow clouds driven by winds from the Great Lakes region, whose impact is expected to be felt until Tuesday morning inclusive.

In the following days, snowfall may ease, but it will remain very cold. According to the NWS Prediction Center, at least until the end of the first week of February, two-thirds of US territory will experience dangerously low temperatures reaching as low as -45°C. Protect lives, pets and infrastructure – meteorologists urge.