From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 25, 2026
US storm leaves 160,000 without power as snow pounds much of country
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA monster winter storm has already cut power to more than 160,000 electricity customers across the US as far west as Texas, and threatens to paralyze the country’s eastern states with heavy snowfall.
The storm has forced thousands of flight cancellations nationwide.
Forecasters say snow, sleet and freezing rain, accompanied by dangerously frigid temperatures, will sweep the eastern two-thirds of the US today and into next week.
Calling the storms “historic,” US President Donald Trump yesterday approved federal emergency disaster declarations in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia.
“We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have declared weather emergencies, the Department of Homeland Security says.
“We do have tens of thousands of people in affected states in the South that have lost power. We have utility crews that are working to restore that as quick as possible,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said late yesterday afternoon.
The number of power outages continues to rise. As of 10:17 p.m. EST Saturday (5:17 a.m. Sunday Israel time), more than 160,000 US customers had no electricity, the bulk of them in Louisiana and Texas, according to PowerOutage.com.
The Times of Israel Community.