Winter Storm Fern kills 42, leaves 1 million without power across southern U.S.

A major winter storm tracked across the southern and northeastern United States from January 23 to January 27, 2026, killing at least 42 people and leaving more than one million customers without power at peak impact. Ice accumulations knocked out power lines across the South, with outages lasting up to a week in some locations. More than 300 million people were under winter precipitation or cold warnings at the storm's peak, and the event briefly paused FEMA's planned staffing cuts while a preliminary injunction was sought by federal unions.