A powerful winter storm has claimed at least 30 lives across the United States, as heavy snowfall, freezing rain, and record-breaking cold paralyze states from Texas to New England.

According to a report by the Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday (January 27), the extreme weather has left communities reeling and disrupted daily life for millions.

Extreme Cold to Persist
The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that "arctic blasts" will continue to sweep across a large portion of the eastern U.S. over the coming days.

Temperatures in many areas are expected to plunge well below zero, with the potential for record-breaking lows.

Forecasters cautioned that the unusually frigid conditions are likely to persist through the beginning of February.

Power Outages and Closures
The storm has dealt a severe blow to the nation's energy infrastructure.

• Massive Outages: As of Monday evening, over 670,000 customers were without power nationwide, with the southern states bearing the brunt of the outages.
• Academic Disruptions: The University of Mississippi announced that its Oxford campus will remain closed with classes suspended until February 1, citing the ongoing extreme cold and recovery efforts.

Travel Chaos
The winter weather has caused widespread chaos for travelers:

• Flight Cancellations: More than 10,500 flights were canceled across the U.S. on Sunday alone.
• Ongoing Delays: The disruption continued into Monday, with approximately 5,000 additional flights grounded.