Power outages across large parts of Mississippi and Tennessee continued to stretch into nearly a full week as a fresh round of extreme winter weather threatened to worsen conditions across much of the United States. While hundreds of thousands remained vulnerable without electricity, a new East Coast storm system combined with plunging Arctic air raised the risk of heavy snow, blizzard-like conditions, flooding and prolonged exposure to dangerously low temperatures.
By Friday, more than 230,000 homes and businesses were still without power, with Mississippi and Tennessee accounting for the overwhelming majority of outages, according to data from Poweroutage.us. In Mississippi’s Lafayette County alone, around 12,000 residents remained in the dark by midday. Local emergency management officials acknowledged that restoring electricity to everyone before the cold intensified would be unlikely. Beau Moore, a spokesperson for the county’s emergency management agency, said crews were racing against time, but the scale of damage meant not all households would be reconnected quickly enough.
Utility workers have been deploying extraordinary measures to restore electricity, working both on the ground and from the air. The Tennessee Valley Authority released footage showing a lineman perched on the skids of a hovering helicopter while repairing a massive power structure, highlighting the difficult terrain and widespread infrastructure damage crews are facing.
As restoration efforts continued, forecasters warned that Arctic air moving into the Southeast would drive temperatures even lower. Cities such as Nashville were expected to see overnight lows plunge into the teens Fahrenheit, or around minus 10 degrees Celsius, while thousands of residents there were still without heat. According to the National Weather Service, the bitter cold could persist well into February across the eastern United States, with a high likelihood of heavy snowfall in the Carolinas, Virginia and northeast Georgia. In parts of North Carolina, snowfall totals could reach up to a foot, while additional snow was forecast along much of the East Coast from Maryland to Maine.
Meteorologists also cautioned that Saturday night into early Sunday could bring powerful winds combined with snow, creating near-blizzard conditions before the storm system moves offshore. The Carolinas, in particular, were bracing for significant accumulation. State officials mobilised hundreds of National Guard personnel and began extensive road preparations ahead of the storm.
In coastal South Carolina, Myrtle Beach — a city far more accustomed to hurricanes than snowstorms — was forecast to receive around six inches of snow. With no dedicated snow removal equipment, city officials said they would rely on whatever machinery was available, such as bulldozers or motor graders, to clear roads. Mayor Mark Kruea noted that while hurricanes allow for certain protective measures, snow poses a different challenge for a region unprepared for winter weather.
Across North Carolina, residents rushed to prepare. In Wake Forest, propane suppliers reported heavy demand as people refilled tanks in anticipation of prolonged outages and freezing temperatures. Further east in Dare County, which includes parts of the Outer Banks, longtime residents expressed concern that vacant homes in communities like Rodanthe and Buxton could be at increased risk of collapsing into the Atlantic Ocean due to erosion exacerbated by severe weather.
Medical experts warned that the extended duration of cold and power outages significantly increases the risk of hypothermia, particularly in Mississippi and Tennessee, where many residents were entering their sixth consecutive day without electricity. Dr Hans House, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Iowa, explained that while the human body can tolerate cold briefly, prolonged exposure can quickly become dangerous. Dr Zheng Ben Ma of the University of Washington Medical Center added that vulnerable groups — including the elderly, infants and those with underlying health conditions — can develop symptoms such as exhaustion, confusion, slurred speech and memory loss within hours. As the days stretch on, even otherwise healthy individuals face heightened risks.
Frostbite has also emerged as a growing concern, especially in southern states where people may not own adequate cold-weather clothing. Emergency medicine specialists noted that lack of proper winter gear can accelerate injuries in freezing conditions.
Mississippi officials described the storm as the state’s worst winter event since 1994. Roughly 80 warming centres were opened across the state, and National Guard troops were deployed to deliver food, water and other essential supplies by truck and helicopter. Power crews, including those from the Yazoo Valley Electric Power Association, worked exhausting schedules of up to 16 hours a day, even as some employees remained without power at their own homes. CEO Michael Neely said workers often had to cut through fallen trees just to reach damaged lines. One young worker, Ethan Green, said the pressure to restore electricity quickly was immense, but safety concerns required careful, methodical work.
In Tennessee, similar efforts were underway, with state officials coordinating the distribution of supplies. Governor Bill Lee said crews were doing everything possible to assist affected communities. However, frustration has mounted in Nashville, where more than 70,000 customers remained without power as temperatures dropped. Critics questioned whether the city’s utility was adequately prepared, though Nashville Electric Service defended its response, calling the storm unprecedented and noting that at its peak, nearly half of its customers lost electricity.
The human toll has been severe. Nearly 90 deaths have been reported across the country during the prolonged cold wave, stretching from Texas to New Jersey. About half of those fatalities occurred in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. While some deaths were directly linked to hypothermia, officials believe others may have resulted from carbon monoxide poisoning, often associated with unsafe heating practices during power outages.
Forecasters warned that the Arctic cold was expected to push even farther south, with freezing conditions potentially reaching parts of Florida, underscoring the widespread and ongoing nature of the crisis as millions continue to brace for dangerous winter weather.
