Snow covers Charlotte throughout winter storm Gianna, as bomb cyclone brings heavy snow in Charlotte N.C., on Jan. 31, 2026.
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Blizzardlike circumstances stemming from a ” bomb cyclone ” have been beginning to convey heavy snow to the Southeast and have been ushering in frigid temperatures to a lot of the East Coast Saturday, as tens of hundreds of properties and companies remained with out energy after being hit by a special icy storm final week.
About 240 million folks have been beneath chilly climate advisories and winter storm warnings, a forecaster mentioned. The frigid chilly was anticipated to plunge as far south as Florida. Some areas unaccustomed to snow have been bracing for a number of inches to fall by Sunday.
The highly effective winter storm system got here after one other blast of snow and ice final weekend snarled visitors, knocked down timber, and brought on greater than 100 deaths.
A low temperature of minus 27 levels Fahrenheit (minus 33 levels Celsius) was recorded Saturday morning in West Virginia, mentioned Bob Oravec, lead meteorologist for the Nationwide Climate Service in School Park, Maryland.
Components of the southern Appalachians, the Carolinas and Georgia might see 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) of snow, he mentioned. The Carolinas might see blizzard circumstances stemming from the bomb cyclone, a time period Oravec used to described an intense, quickly strengthening storm system off the Southeast coast packing sturdy winds.
“Anytime you’ve got chilly climate advisories or excessive chilly warnings, it’s harmful to be exterior. Frostbite can happen,” Oravec mentioned. “Particularly in areas which have or are experiencing energy points nonetheless, extended publicity to chilly climate is just not good for your self.”
In Myrtle Seaside, South Carolina — whose official seal is the solar, palm timber and a sea gull — 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow was anticipated. Town has no snow-removal tools, and authorities deliberate to “use what we are able to discover,” Mayor Mark Kruea mentioned.
Lee Harrison, an insurance coverage agent residing in a city exterior of Greenville, North Carolina, mentioned snow has blanketed his neighborhood by Saturday afternoon. He deliberate to take his three daughters sledding within the yard.
“We’re not gonna drive wherever,” Harrison mentioned. “It is thick sufficient that I’d not really feel comfy driving with our household.”
Subfreezing climate was forecast into February, with heavy snow within the Carolinas, Virginia and northeast Georgia over the weekend, together with as much as a foot (30 centimeters) in components of North Carolina. Snow was additionally mentioned to be attainable from Maryland to Maine.
Ongoing energy outage for tens of hundreds of properties
Greater than 197,000 properties and companies have been with out electrical energy, largely in Mississippi and Tennessee, in response to the outage monitoring web site poweroutage.us. That included practically 48,000 in Nashville as of Saturday morning.
Amanda Linton, a resident of Holly Springs, Mississippi, which sits close to the border of Mississippi and Tennessee, mentioned her household tried to maintain busy and keep constructive throughout the weeklong outage. The household of 5 have been caught in the home for days with their canine, chickens and geese because the roads are lined with inches of compacted ice.
Linton mentioned they managed to purchase a generator in preparation forward of the storms.
“Simply numerous video games and studying and actually simply attempting to maintain mine and my husband’s spirits up in order that we’re staying constructive for our youngsters,” Linton mentioned Saturday.
Terry Miles, a 59-year-old building employee whose Nashville residence has had no electrical energy since a earlier storm struck Sunday, resorted to utilizing a fish fryer for warmth and apprehensive concerning the hazard of carbon monoxide.
“I am taking an opportunity of killing myself and killing my spouse, as a result of — Why?” Miles mentioned after attending a Nashville Electrical Service information convention supposed to showcase the utility’s repairs on poles and contours. He then pointed to officers.
Tennessee Gov. Invoice Lee mentioned he shared “sturdy issues” with management of Nashville Electrical Service. The utility has defended its response, saying the storm that struck final weekend was unprecedented.
Mississippi officers mentioned the huge winter storm was its worst since 1994. About 80 warming facilities have been opened, and Nationwide Guard troops delivered provides by truck and helicopter.
Harmful winter circumstances
In Georgia, the place temperatures dropped under freezing, 65-year-old Dolla Johnson slept in a warming middle to remain out of the chilly.
“If I hadn’t have been right here, I’d be sleeping exterior,” mentioned Johnson, who’s homeless. “There’s nowhere else to go. The bridges are usually not protected. All the things’s freezing over.”
Snow covers Charlotte throughout winter storm Gianna, as bomb cyclone brings heavy snow in Charlotte N.C., on Jan. 31, 2026
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Pictures
Specialists warned of the rising dangers of hypothermia. Frostbite was additionally a priority within the South, the place some folks could lack sufficiently heat clothes, mentioned Dr. David Nestler, an emergency drugs specialist on the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
Greater than 100 folks have died from Texas to New Jersey, roughly half of them in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. Whereas some deaths have been attributed to hypothermia, others are suspected to be associated to carbon monoxide publicity. Officers haven’t launched particular particulars about some deaths.
In North Carolina, lots of of Nationwide Guard troopers readied to assist and state staff labored to organize roads.
Town of Wake Forest noticed a gentle stream of individuals filling propane tanks Friday at Holding Oil and Gasoline, together with José Rosa, who arrived after putting out at three different locations.
“I am right here on this chilly climate, and I do not prefer it,” Rosa mentioned as he held a 20-pound (9-kilogram) tank.
In Dare County, residence to a lot of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, residents apprehensive that extra unoccupied homes in communities like Rodanthe and Buxton might collapse into the Atlantic Ocean.
