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East Coast Winter Storm Intensifies as Deaths Top 100 and Outages Persist

Prolonged outages in Mississippi and Tennessee are raising hypothermia and carbon monoxide risks.

Overview

  • Forecasters say a rapidly strengthening coastal system will deliver heavy snow, high winds and dangerous wind chills from the Carolinas into Virginia, with snow possible up the Mid-Atlantic to New England.
  • More than 100 deaths have been reported from Texas to New Jersey, with some attributed to hypothermia and others suspected to involve carbon monoxide exposure.
  • At least 170,000 customers were still without power Friday night, largely in Mississippi and Tennessee, and utilities warn full restoration could take days.
  • Mississippi and Tennessee have deployed National Guard troops to clear debris, conduct welfare checks and distribute supplies, including heating units, fuel, food and blankets.
  • Mississippi officials call it the state’s worst winter storm since 1994, and Southeast coastal communities unaccustomed to snow are bracing with limited equipment.