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A severe winter storm struck the US South and East, causing widespread power outages and thousands of flights being cancelled.
More than 100,000 people across the country were left without power, according to the tracking website Poweroutage.com. More than half are in Texas, about 20,000 in Louisiana and 10,000 in New Mexico.
More than 12,000 weekend flights have been canceled, as well as 14,000 delayed, leaving passengers stranded at airports across the US.
More than 40 percent of the country is under a winter storm warning. On Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for various areas across the country from Friday through Monday.
President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in South Carolina and Virginia to deal with the impact of the storm.
“With the help of FEMA and our state partners, we will keep everyone safe, and ensure both states get the support they need,” he posted on Truth Social.
As Winter Storm Fern moves east, power companies are on alert for snow, freezing rain and hail to impact the grid system, sending helicopters and line construction crews to identify damage and make rapid repairs.
Georgia Power urged its customers to be prepared for two to three days of outages, while Dominion Energy in Virginia warned that icy conditions could knock out power for several days in the area.
Governors in states including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia have declared states of emergency. On Thursday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright ordered grid operators to make more than 35 gigawatts of backup generation available to prevent blackouts.
According to the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories, power outages cost US$44 billion last year.
Fern is drawing comparisons to Winter Storm Uri, which caused massive blackouts and loss of life across Texas in 2021. Temperatures are expected to drop to the low teens and single digits Fahrenheit with wind-chill factors of minus 10 to zero Fahrenheit.
Texas grid operator ERCOT has said it is prepared for the storm and has enough generation to meet demand.
“The same risks of power outages due to reduced natural gas production still apply, as natural gas wells can freeze in temperatures below freezing,” said Mark Callahan, director of Americas natural gas pricing at S&P Global Energy. “However, conditions are not that bad for this storm, and work is underway through 2021 to winterize the grid for such events.”
Didi Caldwell, chief executive officer of Global Location Strategies, said the state is better prepared due to grid modernization efforts and the rise of home generators, but “the buffers in the system are extremely strained” due to increased power demand from data centers and the electrification of home appliances.
PJM, the grid operator that serves more than 67 million people in the Northeast and Midwest, said temperatures could reach single digits Fahrenheit across the region and fall below zero in the West.
“This is a formidable Arctic cold front coming our way,” said Mike Bryson, PJM’s senior vice president of operations. “We will be counting on our generation fleet to perform as well as they did during last year’s record winter peak.”
Natural gas is trading higher, with prices around $28 in Henry Hub, Louisiana, $34 in Chicago and between $60 and $100 in the Northeast and East Coast, S&P analysts said.
However, this is “well below the $1,000 prices seen during URI”, Callahan said.
Retailers Amazon and Door Dash said they will balance delivery of consumer staples while prioritizing the safety of their employees. At least 21 Walmarts have closed across the country.
