Winter Storm Fern Knocks Out Power to 1 Million as Emergencies Span More Than 20 States

Overview

• The National Weather Service warns of heavy snow and potentially catastrophic ice, with more than 180 million people facing hazardous conditions and extremely dangerous travel.
• Power outages have topped one million customers nationwide, with Tennessee hardest hit and significant cuts in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana, as utilities race to restore service.
• The Department of Energy issued emergency orders enabling ERCOT and PJM to tap reserve generation and operate specific resources to limit blackouts.
• Air travel has been severely disrupted, with roughly 10,000 cancellations on Sunday and thousands more on Saturday, affecting major hubs from Dallas–Fort Worth to Atlanta and Charlotte.
• More than 20 states and Washington, D.C., are under emergency declarations, at least two hypothermia deaths have been confirmed in Louisiana, and forecasters expect life‑threatening wind chills to persist into the week.