Dozens of weather-related fatalities have been confirmed since the start of the powerful winter storm that swept across much of the US in recent days, with current estimates being as high as 60 so far.
Tennessee officials have reported eight deaths as forecasters are now monitoring another potentially significant winter storm that could hit parts of the east coast this weekend.
The Tennessee health department confirmed on Tuesday that there were eight weather-related fatalities across the state. Nationwide, dozens of weather-related deaths have been reported, from Texas and Tennessee to New England, since Friday. Various communities have grappled with heavy snow, ice and dangerously cold temperatures.
As of Wednesday afternoon, approximately 370,000 customers across the country are without power, according to Poweroutage.us, including around 129,000 in Tennessee and roughly 113,000 in Mississippi.
In Tennessee, Nashville Electric Service (NES) said that its crews are continuing to work “around the clock” to restore power to customers impacted.
The company said that so far, NES crews have restored power to more than 123,000 customers, but that about 107,000 NES power outages remain and more than 300 broken poles have been reported.
The number of deaths also rose to eight in Louisiana, the state health department confirmed. The cause of death for five of the victims has been determined to be hypothermia. An elderly person in DeSoto Parish died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Also in DeSoto Parish, a 79-year-old woman died after her oxygen concentrator failed as a result of no power. And a Texas man died while driving on icy roads in Mansfield.
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said on Wednesday that there had been 10 deaths in the state, all of which have been confirmed to be a result of the harsh conditions brought on by the winter storms.
“We are still experiencing dangerously cold temperatures and windchills, which will continue through the week. Windchills will be negative to single digits for most of the state until Tuesday,” Beshear said, adding: “We also need Kentuckians to make sure they’re bringing their pets inside; this weather is just as dangerous for them.”
Additionally, at least seven people are confirmed dead in Mississippi following the major winter storm system. In New York, 10 people were found dead outdoors in the freezing temperatures, with mayor Zohran Mamdani confirming that exposure to the severe cold played a role in seven of the 10 deaths.
Forecasters are also tracking another winter system. The National Weather Service’s weather prediction center said on Wednesday that a “winter storm” is “likely this weekend” in some areas, including North and South Carolina, and Virginia.
“Confidence is increasing for impactful heavy snow across much of the Carolinas and parts of southern Virginia, beginning as early as Friday night and lasting through the weekend,” the agency said. “Confidence in impacts associated with snowfall remains lower to the north along the East Coast and into New England at the moment.”
The strong storm system is “likely to produce gusty winds” the agency said, warning that “where these winds overlap with snowfall, reduced visibility is likely and could make for difficult travel conditions at times.”
Weather officials also warned that “several factors for this potential winter storm remain uncertain and forecast changes are anticipated as the system draws closer.”
In a recent update, the National Weather Service said: “While there is still uncertainty regarding the track” of the winter system, “snowfall is forecast to begin in parts of the Mid-South/Southern Mid-Atlantic on Friday morning.”
“Snowfall in this region is expected to then persist through at least the weekend, with the most immediate impacts felt in the coastal regions of the Carolinas and Virginia,” they said. “Further south in Florida and Georgia, rain is expected on Friday as a result of this system, but is expected to be short-lived.”
The storm this weekend could intensify into a “bomb cyclone” with the potential for significant snow, strong winds and some coastal flooding from the Carolinas to New England, the Weather Channel cautioned.
On Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City said that “trends have been increasing for SIGNIFICANT amounts of snow” and said it is “expected to be a mostly snow event” and that “localized blizzard conditions” are “possible” along the coast.
And the agency’s office in Morristown, Tennessee, said that snowfall is becoming “increasingly likely for this weekend across southwest Virginia, northeast Tennessee, and far east Tennessee mountains” with “extreme cold conditions” expected “area-wide”.
Farther north, the National Weather Service in Baltimore and Washington DC said on Wednesday morning that it was monitoring a “chance for light snow” in some parts of the region later on Wednesday afternoon and evening.
In New York City, where a cold weather advisory remains in effect, bitterly cold temperatures are expected to persist throughout the week.
“The snow may have stopped falling, but the cold remains,” Mamdani said in a video on Tuesday. “Our city is in the midst of what may be the longest stretch of below freezing temperatures in recorded history. Extreme cold snaps like this are threatening, already 10 of our neighbors have passed away after being found outdoors. We are doing everything in our power to keep New Yorkers safe.”
The New York City ferry suspended service on Tuesday afternoon and remained closed on Wednesday due to ice in the East and Hudson rivers and across the New York harbor.
The lingering impact of the storm over the weekend has also forced school closures and remote learning in parts of the country. On Wednesday, some school buildings in Maryland, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas were closed.
#Powerful #winter #storm #kills #dozens #forecasters #warn #system #Tennessee