A combination of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Arctic air spilling south from Canada is resulting in a long-duration ice storm across at least eight states. At least seven people have been reported dead since January 30, 2023.[1] Ice storm warnings were in effect across large portions of Texas, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and much of Arkansas. Ice accumulated on power lines, utility poles, and tree limbs, leading to power outages. According to PowerOutage.us, more than 437,000 customers were without power in Texas as of the afternoon of February 2.[2] Arkansas had about 82,000 customers without power, followed by Mississippi with 23,000 and Tennessee with 17,000. More than a quarter of all households in Austin, Texas, had lost power as of the afternoon of February 2. Austin Energy said that its crews are working to restore weather-related power outages across the service area.[3] However, based on changing conditions, the utility said it is unable to provide estimates on system-wide restoration.
[1] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3840856-7-deaths-reported-from-texas-ice-storm-outages-top-400k/
[3] https://austinenergy.com/about/news/news-releases/2023/austin-energy-working-to-restore-widespread-local-power-outages