NEW YORK, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Several dozen people died and hundreds of thousands remained without power on Tuesday after a massive winter storm dumped snow and ice from the U.S. Northeast to the South over the weekend.
Frigid cold lingered after the record-breaking winter storm drifted away from the East Coast on Monday. Some 220 million Americans were on alert for extreme cold temperatures, with cold weather warnings and advisories stretching from Texas and Florida to New York.
At least 45 weather-related deaths were reported nationwide on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
Three brothers, aged 6, 8, and 9, died Monday after falling into an icy pond in Fannin County, Texas, police said. In New York City, officials reported that 10 people had been found dead outdoors in the cold.
More than 400,000 people were still without power as of 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday (0400 GMT on Wednesday). Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana were hit hardest, where freezing rain and ice caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, leading to widespread outages.
Dozens of counties in Mississippi were in need of bottled water, blankets, tarps, fuel, and generators, Governor Tate Reeves said Tuesday, adding that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was sending trucks loaded with supplies.
More than 110,000 outages remained in Nashville, Tennessee, and neighboring communities on Tuesday. Nashville Electric Service said on social media that it had dispatched more than 740 workers to restore power. Public schools will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday, officials said.
A total of 46 children in Nashville were hospitalized for carbon monoxide exposure on Sunday. The cases came as many families tried to heat their homes during power outages.
The U.S. aviation system was returning to normal after more than 12,500 flights were canceled on Sunday, the highest day for cancellations since the pandemic.
There were about 6,300 cancellations across the country on Monday and nearly 2,700 on Tuesday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service.
American Airlines said this was the most disruptive storm in its 100-year history. The company has canceled more than 9,000 flights and expects impacts to last for two more days.
The National Weather Service forecast that another winter storm could hit parts of the East Coast this weekend, with more record lows expected as far south as Florida. ■