Category: News – National & Global

by Clara Johnson ’26 on February 5, 2026

Last week, a winter storm characterized by ice, sleet, and copious amounts of snow struck the United States, causing major power outages, severe damage, and inaccessible roads. The storm, which has been unofficially named Winter Storm Fern by the Weather Channel, brought historic weather to large swaths of Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.

In the Northeast, over a foot of snow fell, with some places, including Providence, RI, experiencing more than 20 inches of snow. The snowfall resulted in school and business closures across the region, though most institutions were able to reopen by mid-week. Across the country, there were record low temperatures that have not been seen in decades. In some states, the wind chill reached as low as negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

While loads of snow were dumped in the Northeast, the South was frozen over. A deep freeze brought ice, which weighed down powerlines and trees, causing them to snap. These downed powerlines and fallen trees caused hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses to lose power. Obstruction caused by tree branches and ice have made it difficult for the National Electric Service to restore power in many of these places. In many Southern localities, infrastructure was overwhelmed, as these areas are not accustomed to contending with such harsh winter storms. As of this week, 136,000 people across the U.S. still remain without power in the freezing weather.

One city that was hit particularly hard by outages was Nashville, TN, with one resident telling The Cowl, “We were without power and heat for six days and still don’t have hot water.” She went on to describe, “It felt almost like a hurricane. Things looked apocalyptic. There were downed trees, downed powerlines. It was awful.”

These catastrophic conditions have been confirmed to be responsible for the deaths of 87 people throughout the U.S. Fatalities have been linked to cold exposure, vehicle accidents, and cardiac emergencies. This includes one man who was found dead because of cold exposure on Wednesday, Jan. 28, in downtown Providence.

As of now, the snow, the cold, and the destruction linger, as people struggle to recover from the impacts of the historic freeze that struck North America last week.