Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Louise Hall

Texas weather: Record-breaking winter storm Uri sparks power crisis for millions and leaves 25 dead

Photograph: Getty Images
2.5 million without power in Texas as snow and ice blanket southern Plains

More than four and a half million customers across America continue to suffer with power outages as a brutal winter storm that has barrelled through much of the country heads Northeast on Tuesday.

An overwhelming proportion of those power outages were seen in Texas, which remains under a federal emergency declaration as the state bears the brunt of severe weather and freezing temperatures.

The storm, which has seen about 200 million be placed under some kind of weather-related alert, has brought extreme conditions to a number of states that are not acclimatised to harsh conditions.

Twenty-five people are reported to have died in weather-related accidents since the frigid temperatures gripped the country, including a pile-up in Fort Worth, Texas, that left six people dead.

Seven cities across the central US and southern plains experienced their coldest mornings in decades, with morning lows dropping below zero in some hard-hit areas.

Parts of the Chicago area were also blanketed with up to a foot and a half of snow forcing school closures as officials urged residents to stay off the snow-filled roads.

Elsewhere, residents in Brunswick County, North Carolina, are still reeling from a tornado that touched down overnight, killing at least three people injuring many others.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.