Much of South-Central U.S. Remains in Dark in Wake of Storm

The new day dawned on Wednesday with thousands of families still in the dark across much of the South-Central U.S. The biggest winter weather event in years roared across over two dozen states last weekend, knocking out power to over 1 million customers. While power is slowly being restored, there are still over 400,000 people without power as of Wednesday morning. Here is the latest on storm recovery.

Over 400,000 Still Without Power in the South

Utility crews are working around the clock in an attempt to restore power to the hardest-hit areas of the South. The timing of the massive power outages with the latest intrusion of Arctic air is less than ideal. Thousands of families have been left without power and heat as winter weather continues to rage outside.

The worst of the ice storm impacted Mississippi and Tennessee. Not surprisingly, the greatest concentration of outages has been reported in Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The icy roads and bridges have made it difficult for crews to respond as quickly as they would like to, amplifying the lingering impacts

The southern flank of this far-reaching system saw the most significant ice accumulations across power lines and trees. The blast of Arctic air settled in at the back end of the storm. Since that time, areas in the Deep South have seen overnight lows dive into the upper teens and 20s.

Entergy Mississippi officials confirmed that it will take until Thursday for crews to complete their damage assessments across the state. The icy roads and downed trees are making some roads impassable, delaying the evaluation and response. The western half of the state has been hit especially hard. Crews have confirmed at least 234 broken poles and 971 spans of wire that have collapsed.

Ice left from storms of this magnitude typically melts in a few days. However, the Arctic air that has settled over the South is keeping the roads and other surfaces covered. Entergy Mississippi said that some areas may not see power restored until the weekend.

The situation is just as dire to the north in Tennessee. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said that freezing rain, high winds, and extreme cold have slowed the state's recovery efforts. Approximately 131,000 customers were dealing with the conditions without power on Wednesday. This includes about 100,000 customers without power in Nashville and Davidson County.