Deadly historic winter storm: Ice leaves life-threatening power outages across South, snow buries Northeast
The system carved a destructive 2,300-mile path across the nation, leaving behind life-threatening power outages across the South and the heaviest snow totals that many Northeast states have seen in half a decade.
Crews dig out Washington, D.C. after powerful winter storm
A powerful winter storm slammed Washington, D.C. over the weekend, dumping nearly 7 inches of snow. FOX Weather Meteorologist Katie Byrne is live from D.C., riding inside a snowplow to give us a firsthand look at road conditions as crews work to clear the streets.
A deadly and historic winter storm is entering its final act in New England on Monday. The system carved a destructive 2,300-mile path across the nation, leaving behind life-threatening power outages across the South and the heaviest snow totals that many Northeast states have seen in half a decade.
LIVE UPDATES: DEADLY WINTER STORM BLASTS AMERICA WITH CATASTROPHIC ICE, EXTREME SNOW
At its peak Sunday afternoon, more than a million customers were without power in the South—primarily across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky—as crippling ice snapped swaths of trees and brought down power lines.
Meanwhile, nearly a foot of snow was tallied across the Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast; more than 18 states totaled more than a foot of snow by early Monday.
Air travel across the nation ground to a halt, with thousands of canceled flights through the weekend.
Concern now turns to a dome of Arctic air associated with the polar vortex, which will bring days of life-threatening temperatures to much of the country.
The Arctic air will refreeze existing ice and snow, and potentially exacerbate outages, particularly the prolonged outages expected in the Southern tier.
At least nine deaths have been attributed to the massive system, including one in Saline County, Arkansas.
The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed three storm-related deaths Sunday evening.
A snow plow near a fallen tree and electrical pole during a winter storm in east Nashville, Tennessee, US, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (Photographer: Kate Dearman/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Cold weather deaths were reported in northern Louisiana, Emporia, Kansas and Austin, Texas.
In Frisco, Texas, a 16-year-old girl died, and another teen remains in critical condition after a sledding accident. Local police said the two sledders were being pulled by an SUV and struck a tree.
At the time of the accident, about an inch of sleet was on the ground, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
More than 800,000 customers remain without power as of early Monday, with the majority concentrated in Tennessee and Mississippi.
Trees came crashing down in Nashville Sunday, as ice accumulations reached 0.5 inches and power outages mounted across the metro area through the day.
Ice Storm ravages Mississippi
A crippling ice storm ravaged Mississippi leading to widespread power outages and downed trees across the state. FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell is live from Oxford, Mississippi, where a shelter in place has been ordered as power crews struggle to restore service.
An inch of ice accretion was reported over the weekend in both Belzoni and Rolling Fork, Mississippi, as well as parts of Alabama and South Carolina.
An inch of ice accumulation can cause major structural failures in power grids.
FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell said on Sunday that iced-over trees snapped throughout Oxford, Mississippi in the North Central Hills part of the state.
Campbell said the falling trees sounded like gunshots as limbs took down power lines. The city has issued shelter-in-place orders and warned residents to be prepared for a multi-day outage, as temperatures continue to plummet.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, nearly 50 record low temperatures are possible Monday morning across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, with temperatures dropping into the teens and single digits in some locations.
Extreme Cold Warnings are in effect for major southern cities, including Dallas, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Arkansas, and New Orleans.
In the Northeast, New York City recorded 11.4 inches of snow in Central Park. Philadelphia tallied 9.3 inches of snow, while Baltimore totaled 11.1 inches—the first double-digit snow event for the city since 2016.
Meanwhile, Boston sat at 16.7 inches of snow early Monday with more in the forecast. Snow is expected to linger across parts of New England through the rest of the day, as the devastating system finally moves off the East Coast.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 25: Workers clear Times Square of snow during a snowstorm on January 25, 2026 in New York City. A massive winter storm is bringing frigid temperatures, ice, and snow to nearly 200 million Americans. ((Photo by Andres Kudacki/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Extreme Cold Warnings are also in effect from Minneapolis through Chicago and into northern New England, morning low temperatures will fall into the single digits and even below zero, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
"For the remainder of the week, northern regions will stay roughly 10 to 15 degrees below average," the Forecast Center said Monday.
"Cities like New York will see high temperatures remain in the 20s through next weekend, with Boston experiencing similar conditions."