Massive US Winter Storm Grounds Thousands of Flights, Triggers Power Outages

A powerful winter storm sweeping across the United States has caused widespread chaos over the weekend, forcing the cancellation of more than 13,000 flights between Saturday and Sunday—the highest single-day disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic. The massive system, affecting nearly 180 million people from the southern Rockies to New England, is delivering heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain, and dangerously low temperatures.

Power outages surged into the hundreds of thousands, with Louisiana reporting over 58,000 customers affected and Texas nearing 50,000. In areas like Shelby County, Texas, and DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, thick ice coated trees, snapping branches, downing power lines, and blocking roads. Officials described the ice damage as comparable to a hurricane in impact.

Major airports bore the brunt of the disruptions: Will Rogers International in Oklahoma City canceled all Saturday flights and morning Sunday departures, while Dallas-Fort Worth International saw hundreds of cancellations. Significant ground stops also hit hubs in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, and Ronald Reagan Washington National, with most Sunday departures already scrubbed.

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The National Weather Service warned that ice accumulation—described as potentially the worst in a decade in parts of Georgia—will melt very slowly, complicating recovery efforts and keeping roads treacherous for days. Wind chills plunged to minus 40°F in the Midwest, with record-breaking cold in places like Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The storm is expected to dump over a foot of snow in the Northeast next.

President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for at least a dozen states, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency pre-positioned supplies, staff, and search-and-rescue teams. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urged people to stay home if possible. Governors in New Jersey, Georgia, and New York issued travel restrictions, speed limits, and pleas to remain indoors.

Events were heavily disrupted: Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana postponed, Grand Ole Opry performed without an audience, schools and universities canceled classes, and churches shifted services online. Despite the hardships, some residents in Nashville enjoyed sledding on snowy hills.

Forecasters highlighted the storm’s unusual scale—spanning 2,000 miles—and the extreme cold that will follow, making this one of the most impactful winter events in recent years.

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