US winter storm leaves hundreds of thousands homes without power

A winter storm that dumped sleet and heavy snow on a wide swath of the central United States this week left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power on Friday as treacherous weather threatened parts of the Plains and New England.

More than 330,000 customers were without power from Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee up through Ohio and into New York, Poweroutage.us reported on Friday, after an ice storm downed power lines and trees across the area on Thursday.

Wind chill warnings remained in effect for Texas and the Great Plains, where morning lows ranging between the single digits and below zero Fahrenheit were in the forecast, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

A car is abandoned overnight after it crashed during a snowstorm in Toledo, Ohio, U.S., February 3, 2022. REUTERS/Gaelen Morse

“Cold wind chills could result in hypothermia in a short amount of time if precautions are not taken,” the NWS warned.

Winter storm warnings and advisories also remained in effect for Tennessee and Kentucky up through New York and Pennsylvania and into New England where a mix of sleet and snow were expected to make travel difficult, the service said.

Snow blankets outdoor furniture in Lawrence, Kansas, U.S. February 3, 2022. Tess Jehle/Handout via REUTERS

In the Boston area, home to 4.8 million people, forecasters predicted 1 to 2 inches (3-5 cm) of snow and ice accumulations of one tenth to one quarter of an inch, making road conditions hazardous.

Early on Friday morning, some 2,800 flights had been canceled at U.S. airports, including 230 in and out of Boston Logan International and 580 to and from Dallas Fort Worth International, Flightaware.com reported.

By Saturday morning, the winter storm finally exits off the East Coast, but bitterly cold temperatures will stick around with some temperatures challenging record lows in the South Central U.S., NWS forecasters said.

(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)