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Hundreds of thousands without power throughout US following severe winter storm

System produces deadly tornadoes in Alabama
Winter storm 2022 Indiana
Posted at 5:11 AM, Feb 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-04 10:16:53-05

Hundreds of thousands of people from Texas to New York are currently without power amid a severe winter storm that has dumped several inches of ice and snow on power lines and roadways.

That same system also spawned tornadoes in the southeast. According to CBS News, tornadoes killed one person and injured eight others in Alabama on Thursday.

PowerOutage.us, which tracks power outages across the U.S., reports that more than 350,000 customers across the country are currently without electricity amid freezing temperatures. The website says that more than 200,000 of those without power live in Tennessee and Ohio.

For the second straight day about 90 million people — nearly a third of the U.S.'s population — are currently under a winter weather advisory. Much of the Midwest experienced several hours of freezing rain on Thursday, followed by snowfall.

The slick conditions are disrupting travel for a second straight day. As of 8 a.m. ET, Flight Aware reports nearly 3,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. have been canceled for Friday. More than 5,000 flights were canceled throughout the day on Thursday.

In St. Louis on Thursday, harrowing road conditions brought I-70 to a standstill for several hours. KDSK-TV in St. Louis reports that a crash involving semi-trucks occurred at 11 a.m. local time, and wreckage wouldn't be cleared for nearly six hours.

The storm now sets its sights on the East Coast, which is still digging itself out of a weekend nor'easter, which brought heavy snowfall to the region.