Winter Storm Fern Triggers Wide-Scale Power Outages and Flight Cancellations Across the U.S.

A massive winter storm named Fern swept across two-thirds of the United States, causing more than 670,000 power outages and nearly 10,000 flight cancellations as frigid temperatures and ice threaten the Southeast to the Great Plains; federal and state authorities declared emergencies in multiple states, and the Department of Energy ordered backup resources for Texas and the mid-Atlantic grid to avert further blackouts, while airlines adjusted schedules and residents were urged to stock up and stay warm.