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Capital Weather Gang

Deadly cold snap shuts down central U.S. Texas is ground zero.

Over 4 million customers have lost power in Texas, as record-setting cold, snow and ice paralyze region

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February 15, 2021 at 1:32 p.m. EST
Record low temperatures brought snow and ice to the lower half of the United States on Feb. 14, resulting in poor road conditions and power outages. (Video: The Washington Post)

A severe cold snap has turned the central and southern parts of the country into an extension of the Arctic, with dangerously low temperatures not seen in decades and a blast of snow and ice which has shut down population centers in multiple states.

The excessive cold has sent energy demand skyrocketing. In Texas, 4.3 million customers were without electricity as of 8:45 p.m. Eastern, according to poweroutage.us, ahead of what was expected to be one of the state’s coldest nights on record, with most areas falling to the single digits or lower.