Winter Storms: Why Power Outages in Freezing US Conditions Are Deadly

• Massive winter storm causes widespread disruptions and over 100,000 power outages, particularly in Texas and Louisiana, with numbers expected to rise.
• Losing power in freezing temperatures is dangerous as electricity powers heating, medical equipment, and prevents pipes from freezing, leading to risky decisions like unsafe heating methods.
• Ice is the primary threat to power grids, adding significant weight to trees and power lines, causing damage and making repairs difficult for crews on icy roads.
• Southern states are at higher risk due to homes not built for prolonged cold, less efficient heating systems, and grids not hardened against severe winter weather.
• Despite utility preparations and lessons from past disasters like the 2021 Texas freeze, extreme cold and widespread ice can still overwhelm systems and disrupt fuel supplies.

Why It Matters: Long power outages during US winter storms pose a deadly public safety threat, especially in vulnerable Southern regions.