At least 38 people across 14 US states have died as of Tuesday after a powerful winter storm blanketed much of the central and eastern United States with snow, ice and sub-freezing temperatures, according to local officials and media reports.
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The storm began developing on Friday and spread heavy snowfall across a vast region over the weekend, snarling road traffic, triggering widespread flight cancellations and causing major power outages. While snowfall eased by Monday, bitter cold has lingered, prompting cities to mobilise emergency resources to protect vulnerable residents.
More than 550,000 homes and businesses nationwide remained without electricity by Tuesday, as local authorities worked to restore power and expand warming centres.
New York City reported 10 storm-related deaths, with temperatures dropping to 8 degrees Fahrenheit — the coldest in eight years — Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference. All victims were found outdoors, though officials said it was still unclear whether they were homeless.
The city postponed its annual homeless population count until early February, prioritising outreach efforts instead. “Outreach workers should be focused on bringing New Yorkers inside, not on data collection,” Mamdani said, adding that extreme weather should not be viewed as a personal failure.
Around 500 people experiencing homelessness have been moved into shelters since January 19, while outreach teams are checking every two hours on 350 high-risk individuals with underlying medical conditions.
In Nashville, Tennessee, where more than 135,000 homes and businesses remain without power, temperatures are forecast to fall to 6 degrees Fahrenheit by Wednesday morning, with below-zero wind chills. Mayor Freddie O’Connell described the situation as an “historic ice storm.”
City officials said approximately 1,400 homeless people had filled all shelters and overflow facilities, with police, firefighters and emergency workers operating overtime. The Nashville Rescue Mission reported a dramatic surge in demand, with thousands seeking refuge from the cold.
Across the country, storm-related deaths were attributed to hypothermia, exposure and medical emergencies while clearing snow. In Texas, three young boys died after falling into an icy pond, while another person in Austin died of apparent hypothermia while sheltering at an abandoned gas station. Additional hypothermia deaths were reported in Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Michigan.
Nearly 200 million Americans remain under some form of winter cold alert through at least February 1. Forecasters are also monitoring the potential for another winter storm to impact the eastern United States this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
