A devastating winter storm engulfed large swathes of the continental United States from New Mexico to Maine over the weekend, knocking out power to more than 1 million customers nationwide by its peak on January 25th.
At least 34 people died in the storm. Snow, ice, and wind are causing severe power outages, travel interruptions, and building damage.
The cold air is expected to continue across the eastern United States into early February, according to the Weather Prediction Center. Meteorologists warned that more than 190 million Americans will be affected by the widespread and unusually cold weather.
Prolonged subzero temperatures pose a major threat to power systems across the country. Anything can happen here.
power outage sweep across America
Using the slider on the outage map below, you can see the extent of the outage has expanded, extending from the southern border into Appalachia. On January 27, more than 500,000 customers lost power.
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Frigid and severe cold watches, warnings and advisories extend from southeastern New Mexico eastward to most of the eastern United States except for parts of Michigan and southern Florida.
How does a snowstorm cut off power?
Power grids can span hundreds or even thousands of miles between power plants and electricity-intensive homes. As a result, miles of transmission and distribution lines can become vulnerable to heavy ice, snow, and high winds.
Snow, ice, and low temperatures can have a significant impact on related power components. The effects of this storm were particularly devastating due to the large amount of ice accumulation.
Thick ice could down power lines and knock down trees, especially in southern states that don’t have the infrastructure to withstand extreme cold.
In addition to dashed lines, other power grid elements at risk include:
Generator: Extreme cold can cause plant equipment to freeze and natural gas lines that power gas-fired power plants to shut down.
In high demand: As temperatures drop, homeowners turn up the heat. Houses with electric heating systems put a strain on the power grid and can become overloaded.
Insulator: If snow or ice accumulates on these high voltage elements, arcing can occur.
According to WaterISAC, an international water security non-profit organization, from 2000 to 2023, approximately 80% of all power outages were caused by weather. Winter storms accounted for 23% of power outages.
Contributed by Thao Nguyen, Janine Santucci
SOURCE USA TODAY NETWORK REPORTS AND INVESTIGATIONS. Reuters; Energy Information Administration; Department of Energy; National Weather Service. weather.com
