MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A significant winter storm sweeping across the United States has left a vast area from the Gulf Coast to New England grappling with extremely cold temperatures and hazardous conditions. This severe weather was triggered by a bomb cyclone, resulting in heavy snowfall, widespread flight cancellations, and unusual weather phenomena such as falling iguanas in Florida. Thousands remain without power after last week’s ice storm, compounding the hardships faced by many in the affected regions.
Approximately 150 million people were placed under cold weather advisories and extreme cold warnings across the eastern United States. In particular, wind chills dipped to near zero and single digits in southern areas, with South Florida experiencing its coldest temperatures since December 1989, according to Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.
The Tampa-St. Petersburg area reported snow flurries, with temperatures plunging into the 20s in the Panhandle and the 30s in South Florida on Sunday morning. The extreme cold caused iguanas to become immobilized and dormant, as they typically do in less temperate conditions. If left exposed to the cold for too long, these reptiles risk death. Additionally, frost formed on strawberries and oranges, posing risks to fruit crops in the region.
The bomb cyclone resulted in nearly a foot (30 centimeters) of snow accumulation in Charlotte, North Carolina, making it one of the most significant snow events recorded there. FlightAware reported more than 2,800 flight cancellations across the U.S. on Saturday, followed by 1,500 more on Sunday. Charlotte Douglas International Airport accounted for approximately 800 of those cancellations on Sunday.
The storm also caused severe traffic disruptions, particularly on Interstate 85, where a collision involving numerous vehicles led to significant delays into the evening. North Carolina’s Governor Josh Stein reported over 1,000 traffic collisions and two road fatalities as a result of the inclement weather.
In Tennessee and Mississippi, where an earlier storm brought ice and snow, over 97,000 customers were without electricity as of Sunday, with an additional 29,000 in Florida experiencing outages. Nashville Electric Service projected that 90% of its customers would have power restored by Tuesday, with nearly all customers expected to regain power by the following Sunday, two weeks after the storm initially struck.
Mississippi officials characterized the winter storm as the worst event since 1994, leading to the establishment of about 80 warming centers and the National Guard's provision of essential supplies via truck and helicopter. In the Carolinas, Mullinax noted that residents could take several days to fully dig out from the snow, which would be compounded by gusty winds and biting wind chills. Light snow is anticipated in the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic regions, possibly extending to areas as far north as New York City, as the week progresses.
The article draws contributions from various reporters, including Trần Nguyễn in Sacramento and Julie Walker in New York, and highlights the widespread impact of the storm on daily life and safety across multiple states. The effects of this severe weather serve as a reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by communities during extreme winter conditions.
