A catastrophic winter storm is paralyzing the United States, leaving millions without electricity and forcing the cancellation of over 13,000 flights since Saturday.
The blizzard, unofficially named Winter Storm Fern, has placed approximately 140 million people—nearly 40% of the U.S. population—under winter weather warnings from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service (NWS) warns that life-threatening cold, heavy snow, and "catastrophic" ice accumulation will persist through Monday.
President Donald Trump has approved emergency declarations for at least a dozen states, enabling federal aid to flow to the hardest-hit regions. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that FEMA has pre-positioned search-and-rescue teams and relief supplies across the country.
"We urge all citizens to stay indoors. Do not travel unless it is an absolute emergency," Secretary Noem stated during a press briefing. NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli added that recovery efforts will be slow, as Arctic temperatures will prevent the massive ice and snow accumulation from melting for several days.
The storm has decimated local infrastructure. Over 120,000 customers lost power on Saturday alone, with Texas and Louisiana suffering the most significant outages. 50,000 outages each as freezing rain caused trees to snap onto power lines.
Commissioner Stevie Smith reported that one-third of the county is in the dark, with fallen pine trees blocking primary roads. Heavy ice caused widespread property damage and downed lines.
Aviation across the nation has faced its worst disruption in years. According to FlightAware, roughly 13,000 flights were scrubbed between Saturday and Sunday. Nearly 1,400 cancellations. Will Rogers World Airport was forced to suspend all operations. Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte are reporting massive delays.
Georgia officials warned that the state is bracing for its most severe snowstorm in over a decade, with record-low temperatures expected to follow the snowfall.
