A storm in the United States leaves at least 12 dead and hundreds of thousands of homes without power.

BarcelonaA massive ice and snow storm has swept across two-thirds of the United States and parts of Canada, causing widespread power outages. From New York and Massachusetts in the Northeast to Texas and North Carolina in the South, the storm dumped more than a foot of snow, damaged infrastructure, and forced residents to endure the coldest temperatures in decades. At least 12 people have died from the cold and storm-related incidents. The storm was expected to move away from the East Coast and into the Atlantic on Monday, but the National Weather Service reported that a blast of Arctic air from Canada will prolong the frigid temperatures for several more days. "The overall picture is extreme cold, which will last into early February," warned Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the NWS Weather Prediction Center. Weather services warn that nearly 200 million Americans are under some type of extreme cold alert. More than 800,000 homes and businesses in the southeastern United States are facing a cold snap without power, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us, which reports that Tennessee is the state hardest hit by power outages. The storm has forced the cancellation of more than 19,000 flights across the United States, the highest number for any single day since the start of the pandemic. In Toronto, Canada, hundreds of flights were canceled after the city's airport experienced a record 46 centimeters of snowfall on Sunday. Meanwhile, schools in major cities have suspended classes or switched to online learning to avoid unnecessary travel. The same has occurred at most universities in Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, New York, and Ohio.

So far, 12 deaths have been reported as a result of the storm, but that number is expected to rise as the causes of death of victims in several states are confirmed. For example, seven deaths were reported in New York over the weekend, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday, but the causes are still being determined. The mayor stated that some of the victims had been in contact with the city's shelter system and explained that the "code blue" will remain in effect, allowing for relaxed admission procedures to homeless shelters.

In Kentucky, authorities are also investigating whether three deaths reported in the state are related to the storm, according to Governor Andy Beshear.