Thousands Left Without Power After Heavy Winter Storm Wreaks Havoc Across US

Thousands of Americans from Michigan to Kentucky were left without power for hours Sunday after the intense winter storm struck parts of the United States. Heavy snow hampered routine life across much of the nation's northern tier and resulted in strong thunderstorms and tornadoes.

After power lines in parts of the South and Midwest were impacted by the storm, more than 173,500 homes and businesses were left in dark in Kentucky on Sunday night. More than 144,000 homes were powerless in Michigan and around 30,000 in Tennessee, as per the tracking website poweroutage.us. Tens of thousands of other residents struggled with consistent blackouts in Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Nearly 34,000 were left without power in north and central California, the tracking website reported. The region witnessed historic snowfalls, leaving many people stranded in their homes in the mountains east of Los Angeles. Search and rescue teams were deployed to save residents stranded in the mountain regions after most snowplows were overwhelmed.

Winter storms took down power for over 1 million residents in Kentucky, Michigan and other parts of the South and Midwest on Saturday morning, according to an update posted by Power Outage on Twitter.

Detroit-based DTW cited heavy snow and high winds as the leading causes behind the outages in southeastern Michigan.

Freezing rain and ice storm have weakened tree limbs, which could hit power lines. Nashville saw high winds breaking more than 52 power poles, causing massive power outages in various residential and business areas.

At Least 13 People Killed

Heavy winter storms and tornadoes destroyed several houses and buildings, killing at least 13 people across the South and Midwest. Three people were killed in Alabama by falling trees, AP News reported. Storm-related deaths were also reported in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Five people were confirmed dead in Kentucky after wind gusts surpassed 70 mph, taking down trees and power lines, Gov. Andy Beshear said. The governor called on people to practice patience as the authorities worked on restoring power, noting that some areas could be without power for days.

"This is very significant widespread damage throughout Kentucky," Beshear said during a news conference, Washington Post reported. "When it comes to power, this is going to be a multiday event."

The National Weather Service in Louisville termed the storm "powerful and historic" with peak wind gusts of 60-80 mph. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg declared a state of emergency Friday evening in view of heavy storms and winds causing damage and danger to lives and property in the region.

"I encourage everyone in our community to exercise extreme caution this evening, and in the coming days – do not drive through standing water, do not approach downed power lines, or do anything that would put the lives of anyone at risk," Greenberg said in a Facebook post.

Authorities have advised residents across the affected areas to stay updated on the latest weather situation in their regions and take necessary precautions, noting that travel conditions will remain dangerous. Drivers have been urged to exercise caution on the roads to avoid slippery situations and crashes due to heavy snow.