BLACKOUT

Ice Storm Triggers Travel Chaos, Leaves Nearly 1M Without Power

Schools closed, flights were grounded, and drivers were left stranded by the extreme weather.

Nearly 1 million homes and businesses were left without power early Thursday as a paralyzing winter storm brought brutally cold blizzard conditions across the country. Over 870,000 customers were hit by power outages, according to tracking site poweroutage.us, with over 650,000 blackouts occurring in Michigan alone. But people as far away as California were also experiencing power cuts—with meteorologists issuing the first blizzard warning in Southern California since 1989. Forecasters expect the storm to continue into the weekend, with the extreme weather already causing widespread disruption. The Transportation Department in Wyoming on Wednesday said that many roads were completely impassable, with rescuers attempting to reach drivers stranded in their vehicles. Schools and office buildings have also been forced to close and over 1,600 flights have been canceled so far around the Lower 48.