US weather highlights: Death toll climbs to 35, 220 million Americans on alert for extreme cold

The Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to over 2,700 road incidents since Saturday, including crashes and stranded motorists. Governor Mike DeWine urged people to stay off roads and carry a winter travel kit if they must drive.

New York City remains under an “Enhanced Code Blue” to protect residents from dangerously cold temperatures. The city ensures that no one seeking shelter is turned away, with more than 50 hospitals and multiple Department of Homeless Services centers offering warm spaces.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani added that two shelters per borough have been set up at high school campuses. “Prolonged exposure can lead to hypothermia and frostbite,” the city warned.

The National Weather Service warned that another major winter storm could hit the eastern US next weekend.

In a post on X, it said the “potential is increasing,” though it is still too early to know how severe it might be. Updates are expected throughout the week.

For now, officials say the message is clear: stay warm, stay indoors when possible, and look out for neighbours as the deep freeze continues.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said more snow is expected, even after the state has already seen one to two feet in some areas.

“One to five inches is still expected today,” she said, adding that travel conditions remain “challenging.”

She warned of strong wind chills and serious frostbite risks. “We’re worried about frostbite,” she said, urging residents to dress warmly and check on neighbours.

Despite the storm, Healey said the power grid has largely held up. “We were ready, our teams were ready, and our state was ready,” she said.

Across the US, nearly 780,000 customers were still without electricity as of Monday evening, according to poweroutage.us.

Tennessee was the hardest-hit state, with over 247,000 homes and businesses without power. Mississippi followed with more than 153,000 outages, while Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia also reported tens of thousands without electricity.

In Oxford, Mississippi, Mayor Robyn Tannehill said crews were working around the clock to restore power and clear roads. “I know people are frustrated and cold,” she said.

She warned that roads remain dangerous, especially hills and highway ramps. “Don’t let the sunshine give a false sense of security,” she said. “The bitter cold last night did us no favours.”

Warming shelters have been opened, with special focus on helping elderly residents reach them safely.

City Hall confirmed that eight people died in New York since Friday, bringing the nationwide death toll linked to the storm to 20. Officials said it is still too early to confirm whether cold weather directly caused the deaths.

An official told CBS News that six people were found overnight on Friday, one overnight Saturday and another overnight Sunday. The New York Police Department said it is investigating seven of the deaths.

In a statement, City Hall said, “We can confirm that several of these individuals have had contact with [homeless] shelter and/or street outreach services in the past.”

Freezing weather is set to stay across large parts of the eastern United States as a powerful winter storm continues to affect daily life. Officials say at least 20 deaths have been linked to the extreme cold and heavy snowfall, though investigations are still ongoing in several cases.

Millions of people have been told to stay indoors as schools remain closed, travel is badly disrupted and hundreds of thousands of homes are still without power. While conditions have improved slightly since the weekend in some areas, authorities say the danger is far from over.

Kentucky Governor Andrew Beshear said the storm system has mostly moved out of his state, but warned residents to remain alert. “We are not in the clear yet,” he said, pointing to the continuing risk from bitter cold.

The National Weather Service said a “deep freeze” will affect the eastern two-thirds of the country throughout the week. “Frigid temperatures will impact the eastern two-thirds of the US this week, and numerous record lows are forecast,” it said.

Snowfall is expected to ease in most places, with the worst of it shifting toward eastern Canada by Tuesday.

New York City experienced a historic snowfall on Sunday as Central Park recorded 11.4 inches of snow, setting a new daily record. This broke the previous record of 10 inches, which had stood since 1905, according to the National Weather Service New York.

People took to the snow to enjoy winter fun, sledding on Cedar Hill in Central Park despite the cold.

The deep freeze gripping the northern United States shows no signs of letting up. Normally, after a winter storm, temperatures rise above freezing within a few days, helping to melt snow and ice. But this extreme arctic air mass is expected to stick around.

Weather forecasts, as per CNN, indicate that no high temperatures north of the Mason-Dixon line will rise above freezing through late this week. Residents of the mid-Atlantic, Upper Midwest, and Northeast should expect to wait until early February for any significant thaw.