A powerful winter storm sweeping across the United States has left more than 296,000 homes and businesses without electricity, as heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain crippled power infrastructure from the Ohio Valley to New England.
Utilities across multiple states reported widespread outages, with Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana among the hardest hit, according to PowerOutage.us. The storm is now expected to become the most expensive severe weather event since the Los Angeles-area wildfires in early 2025.
Power Grid Infrastructure Under Strain
In Tennessee, Nashville Electric Service said 95,687 of its 463,455 customers were without power at the peak of the storm. The utility said more than 930 lineworkers from seven states were deployed, restoring electricity to 127,000 customers within hours.
Entergy, which serves 3.05 million customers across the southern U.S., reported over 77,451 outages, spanning Mississippi, Louisiana, and neighboring states. The company said it was using drones and helicopters flying up to 5,000 feet to speed up damage assessments and restoration.
Economic Losses Mount Rapidly
The financial impact is already severe. AccuWeather economic losses from the storm are estimated between $105 billion and $115 billion, reflecting damage to homes, businesses, transportation systems, and energy infrastructure.
Such losses raise fresh concerns about the resilience of the U.S. power grid as extreme weather events grow more frequent and costly.
Utilities Race Against Freezing Conditions
Other states reporting outages include Texas, Kentucky, California, Florida, and Oregon. While the number of affected customers is declining, utilities warn that ice-covered lines and dangerous road conditions continue to slow repairs.
Major energy providers, including Entergy Corp and Duke Energy Corp, face increasing pressure from regulators and customers to strengthen grid resilience ahead of future storms.
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