Snow, ice and Arctic air grip areas from Texas to Massachusetts

People on a sidewalk during a winter snowstorm in the Corona neighborhood of Queens on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (Janice Chung/The New York Times)

By CLYDE McGRADY, AMY GRAFF and JUDSON JONES

A dangerous winter storm pummeled much of the eastern United States on Sunday, shattering temperature records, knocking out power to more than 1 million homes and businesses, and wreaking havoc on daily life from Mississippi to Massachusetts.

A winter storm warning covered about 120 million people from New Mexico to Maine, as bitterly cold Arctic air spread across the central U.S. and pushed east. Extreme cold warnings were issued for a broad area stretching from the Southern Plains into portions of the Midwest, and watches and advisories extended into portions of the Southeast and mid-Atlantic.

Five people were found dead in New York City on Saturday, and officials were investigating whether they died because of the cold. One person died of exposure in Austin, Texas, according to the city’s mayor, Kirk Watson. The Louisiana Department of Health said two men in Caddo Parish, which includes Shreveport, had died of hypothermia.

Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said that the state had deployed 100 National Guard members to help in areas including New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley. With some temperatures reaching minus 40 degrees or below, Hochul said, “We are anticipating the longest cold stretch and the highest snow totals the state has seen in several years.”

In parts of the Midwest, the South and the mid-Atlantic, freezing rain coated roads with ice and caused power lines to fall. More than 1 million electricity customers — mostly in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas — were without power Sunday. A Mississippi provider cited “catastrophic damage” that could take weeks to rectify. In Nashville, Tennessee, where heavy icing felled trees, power was out for nearly 200,000 homes and businesses.

The storm system’s dangerous mix of ice, heavy snow and Arctic cold has halted some transit systems and closed schools in many cities. Millions of Americans are stuck inside, possibly for days. More than 12,000 flights were canceled this weekend, according to FlightAware.

Up to a foot and a half of snow is forecast to fall in some areas of New England through Monday, the National Weather Service said.

Here’s what we’re covering:

— New York region: Forecasters expect heavy snow to turn into sleet in the afternoon, mainly across areas along the coast, including in northeastern New Jersey, New York City, Long Island and coastal Connecticut.

— Flight cancellations: The number of U.S. flights canceled Sunday has reached territory not seen since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

— Public transit: Transit agencies in major U.S. cities warned of disruptions Sunday and Monday, urging people to avoid travel if possible.