Winter storm results in widespread power outages

Roughly a million power outages were reported on Jan. 25 as a massive winter storm raged across the country, bringing “catastrophic” ice accumulation that downed power lines and created treacherous road conditions.

Heavy snow fall, freezing rain and low temperatures created hazardous conditions in the southeastern and central United States. In Tennessee, where hundreds of thousands of outages were reported, trees and branches weighed down by ice fell, downing power lines.

In some areas, highways and roadways were blanketed with a thick layer of snow, making it difficult for utility providers and emergency officials to respond. Reuters reported that more than 1 million customers in the United States as far west as New Mexico were without electricity on Jan. 25.

Read more at USA Today