Emergency crews dispatched to ice-covered highways in Mississippi worked overnight and into Wednesday morning to clear stranded vehicles. As the eastern U.S. faced one of its longest periods of freezing weather in decades, traffic was heavily disrupted on major routes, with Mississippi's Governor Tate Reeves urging residents to stay off the roads.
The Mississippi National Guard deployed teams equipped with wreckers to assist with the recovery efforts. Residents near Red Banks reported extensive ice coverage, leading to a scenario where highways looked akin to parking lots filled with idle cars and trucks.
Local officials urged individuals with all-terrain vehicles to help stranded motorists by providing food, water, blankets, and gasoline.
The cold snap resulted in over 380,000 homes and businesses losing power, particularly in Mississippi and Tennessee, where over 50 fatalities have been reported due to the harsh conditions. Among the dead were three brothers in Texas who tragically drowned after falling through a frozen pond.
As temperatures remained well below freezing, Nashville saw nearly 100,000 power outages with forecasts predicting frigid temperatures to persist, even as low as 13°F (-10°C) overnight. Hospitals reported an increase in carbon monoxide poisoning cases as some residents turned to alternative heating sources amidst power outages.
Forecasters indicated a potential new round of severe weather starting Friday, with heavy snowfall predicted across parts of the Carolinas and Virginia that might stretch all the way to Maine.
