In parts of the Southeast, people are being asked to conserve electricity because of extreme cold temperatures reaching as far south as Florida. This follows a crippling snowstorm across the Carolinas.
As the cleanup from the weekend snowstorm continues, a dangerous and rare Arctic blast is gripping the southeastern United States.
Snow and ice stretch from Florida to Virginia after one of the biggest snowstorms in North Carolina’s history.
Charlotte, NC received nearly a foot of snow. And on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a home was battered into the ocean.
In Gastonia, NC, a truck driver had to flee to safety before a train destroyed his cab after it became stuck on the tracks.
Driving conditions remain hazardous, with more than 1,000 crashes in North Carolina alone. Governor Josh Stein said, “Our key message today is to stay off the roads. DOT has 2,500 people out working overtime to try to clear as much snow today as they can.”
This isn’t a lot of snow by northern standards, but because this much snowfall is uncommon in parts of the South, cities and counties simply don’t have enough snow‑removal equipment to clear all the secondary roads.
Thousands of flights have been canceled, and the big concern now is extreme cold.
Temperatures have plunged into the 20s as far south as Florida. The cold weather even triggered a sprinkler system in the Orlando Airport control tower—setting off a false fire alarm and temporarily shutting down the airport.
Farmers in the Deep South are trying to protect their crops from the freeze.
Iguanas are even falling out of trees, temporarily paralyzed by the cold. Jessica Kilgore of Iguana Solutions explained, “They’re cold‑blooded animals, and they just cannot hold on with the high winds and the cold temperatures.”
Meanwhile, parts of the South are still without power more than a week after a separate storm hit the region.
More than 30,000 customers in Tennessee remain in the dark. “Thank God for little propane heaters—been able to keep the house from freezing,” one resident said.
And now, utilities in the Carolinas and Florida are urging customers to conserve power to prevent additional outages.
