Treacherous Winter Storm Paralyzes Central and Eastern US: Causes Widespread Outages, Closures, and Casualties

A powerful winter storm battered the central and eastern United States in late January 2026, stretching from Texas to New England and burying vast regions under heavy snow, ice, and freezing rain. According to WION reports, the storm paralyzed much of the eastern U.S., causing at least 30 deaths, over 560,000 power outages, especially in southern states like Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana, and more than 8,000 flight delays and cancellations nationwide. NASA Earth Observatory notes that preliminary National Weather Service data showed snow accumulations up to 12 inches in parts of Oklahoma from January 23 to 26, with around 20 inches in several Northeast states, leading to treacherous travel, toppled power lines, and widespread school closures.

President Donald Trump approved federal emergency disaster declarations in 12 states, as governors in at least 25 states issued emergencies amid record cold snaps. Watchers News reported historic cold breaking multiple February records across Florida on February 2, while extreme temperatures plunged to minus 34 degrees Fahrenheit in Watertown, New York, and minus 49 in Copenhagen, marking the longest cold stretch and highest snow totals in years for many areas.

This event echoes the costliest U.S. disasters of 2025, when Aon research identified the Palisades and Eaton wildfires in January as the year's most expensive at 58 billion dollars, scorching over 14,000 acres in Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Pasadena near Los Angeles, destroying or damaging more than 17,000 homes and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. Major storms and tornadoes that year added another 18 billion dollars in damage.

Worldwide, patterns show persistent threats, with Aon's 2025 data revealing global economic losses from natural disasters at a 10-year low of 260 billion dollars, yet highlighting gaps in preparedness. Recent events include a landslide-triggered mine collapse killing over 200 in DR Congo's North Kivu on January 31, record snowfall killing 30 in Japan's Aomori by February 3, and Tropical Cyclone Fytia destroying 2,000 homes and claiming 12 lives in Madagascar on February 5, per Watchers News and Disaster Resilience News.

These incidents underscore emerging insights: while overall losses dipped, U.S. wildfires and winter storms remain devastating, with climate-driven extremes like rapid cold waves and intense precipitation amplifying risks across populated regions. Preparedness and insurance shortfalls persist as key vulnerabilities.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI