Death toll rises as winter storm hammers US

More than 40 people have died across a number of states as even colder temperatures and another storm could be ahead

At least 42 people have died in a powerful winter storm that continues to batter large swaths of the US, according to AP. Massive snowfall brought by the storm has caused widespread disruption from the South to the Northeast.

The storm’s heavy snow and freezing temperatures knocked out electricity for more than 500,000 customers, with the worst outages reported in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana, as crews worked to restore power amid lingering cold, ABC News reported late Tuesday.

In Nashville, Tennessee, hospital officials reported 46 children treated for carbon monoxide exposure as households struggle to heat homes during prolonged outages. Public schools in the city will remain closed through Thursday due to massive power outages, according to local officials, as cited by the news outlet.

Travel was severely affected nationwide, with American Airlines canceling over 9,000 flights, marking one of the most disruptive weather events in the carrier’s history, it said.

Insurers are bracing for significant financial fallout from the storm, with analysts estimating billions of dollars in insured losses due to widespread structural, automotive, and commercial damage.

Forecasters warned that extreme cold and hazardous conditions would persist in many areas, complicating recovery efforts as communities dig out from days of snow and ice. Around 220 million Americans remain under alerts for dangerously low temperatures expected to follow the record-breaking storm, with extreme cold warnings and advisories stretching from Texas and Florida in the South to New York in the Northeast and Detroit in the Midwest, according to weather officials.