WASHINGTON – A brutal winter storm, officially named Winter Storm Fern, has claimed at least 15 lives as it pummels large swaths of the United States with record-breaking snowfall, ice, and life-threatening temperatures. The crisis has hit New York City particularly hard, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that five people were found dead outdoors over the weekend. Other fatalities have been reported across the country, including two deaths in Louisiana, three in Texas (including a teenager in a sledding accident), and additional casualties in Tennessee, Kansas, and Pennsylvania. Preliminary reports suggest that most victims succumbed to hypothermia due to the sub-zero conditions.
In response to the “catastrophic” weather patterns, states of emergency have been declared in 22 states, stretching from Texas to Maine. Southern states like Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, which are less accustomed to such extreme conditions, are among the hardest hit. Meteorologists estimate that nearly 230 million people—about 70% of the U.S. population—are currently under some form of winter weather alert. The storm has also caused widespread infrastructure failure, leaving over one million customers without electricity. Tennessee is currently facing the worst of the blackouts, with more than 330,000 residents in the dark as ice-laden tree limbs snap power lines.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that an Arctic air mass trailing the storm will keep temperatures dangerously low for several days, with wind chills expected to reach as low as -50°F (-45°C) in some regions. These extreme temperatures can cause frostbite in a matter of minutes, prompting authorities to urge citizens to remain indoors and avoid all unnecessary travel. Travel has already been severely disrupted, with over 11,000 flights cancelled on Sunday and thousands more delayed as airports and roads remain impassable.
