At least 17 people killed as US winter storm sparks travel chaos and power outages
The massive storm system is expected to bring a crippling ice storm from Texas through parts of the south and potentially more than a foot of snow from Oklahoma to Washington DC, New York and Boston
At least 17 people have died as a result of a winter storm that has swept across the United States of America.
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The massive storm system is expected to bring a crippling ice storm from Texas through parts of the south, potentially more than a foot of snow from Oklahoma to Washington DC, New York and Boston, and then a final punch of bitterly cold air that could drop wind chills to minus 46C in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota.
Forecasters are warning that the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival a hurricane. Many people were under winter storm or cold weather watches or warnings - and in many places both.
Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas, Massachusetts, Kansas and New York City have all reported deaths that are believed to be connected to the storm.
In Kansas, police found a woman covered in snow who is thought to have died of hypothermia, whilst in Texas, a 16-year-old was killed in a sledging accident.
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New York mayor Zohran Mamdani has said that the storm has passed, but conditions are still dangerous and it's an "all hands on deck effort".
A travel advisory remains in effect and he has asked residents to stay off the roads.
"Just because the storm has passed does not mean that the danger to homeless New Yorkers has passed," he said.
"Our city is steadily coming back online."
He added that they hope the city will be "back to normal" tomorrow, "albeit with a lot of snow piled up".
More than 800 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed or cancelled for Friday before the storm, including at airports in Dallas, Atlanta, and Oklahoma, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.
The cold spell coming afterwards means it will take a while to thaw out, an especially dangerous prospect in places where ice and snow weigh down tree branches and power lines and cut electricity, perhaps for days.
Roads and pavements could remain icy well into next week.
Freezing temperatures are expected all the way to Florida, forecasters said.
A severe cold snap five years ago took down much of the power grid in Texas, leaving millions without power for days and resulting in hundreds of deaths. Governor Greg Abbott said on Thursday that will not happen again, adding that the power system "has never been stronger".
Governors in Georgia and Mississippi have declared states of emergency.
In Huntsville, Alabama, employees from Jomo's Power Equipment, Parts & Service sold dozens of generators within about a day and ordered an emergency shipment to meet customer demand.
"I'd say 95 per cent of the calls were generator-related or either service or 'Do you have any generators in stock,'" Bryan Hill, the store's manager, said on Thursday.
Lindsay Sylvester in Toney, Alabama, stocked up early in the week on bread and other supplies at her home and sent her son, who is in college, bread, gloves, candles and hand warmers.
Ms Sylvester said she went to the shop early in the week because she knew supplies would be depleted close to the weekend.
"A couple of people I heard talking about they had gone to Walmart and there was no milk, no bread," she said. "All the necessities were gone."
As a precaution, North Carolina's largest public school system prepared for potentially several days out of physical classrooms next week, telling its teachers to create three days of assignments accessible online or through paper copies.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger told residents to prepare for days without power or the ability to leave their neighbourhoods.
And in a nod to the politics of the time, the newly-inaugurated Democrat said people should not be scared to call the police in an emergency just because of the immigration crackdowns going on in places like Minnesota.
Arkansas Department of Transportation spokesman Dave Parker pleaded for people to be patient and stay at home if possible once the storm hits.
At a busy supermarket near Dallas city centre, Kennedi Mallard and Frank Green loaded two shopping trolleys full of supplies into their car. They said there were some bare shelves inside.
"No water, no eggs, no butter, no ground meat," Mr Green said.