We may be wishing for springtime, but winter weather is still in full swing for most of the country. Now, thousands of people are suffering from power outages due to a severe winter storm hitting the Southeast. The severe weather includes freezing rain, ice, and snow impacting different areas on Sunday.
Currently, there are about 80 million people that are under different winter weather alerts due to the region in which they live. This storm will likely impact a whole new group of people when it starts to turn northeastward later this Sunday and into Monday.
Ongoing Movement and Impact of Winter Storm
As of now, there are currently over 125,000 people without power early this morning, according to PowerOutage.US. The storm is impacting power in four states the most — Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama. For reference, Georgia alone is reporting over 67,000 people currently without power this morning.
A view from Highway 16. 10 miles east of Canton. Cars stranded/abandoned along the road. Wet snow that is taking down branches and trees is also contributing to power outages. #mswx pic.twitter.com/NGtSwbEuAZ
— Christopher Pipkin WAPT (@ChrisPipkinWx) January 16, 2022
People are being warned to stay inside when possible. Hopefully, those without power will get it back by the end of today.
According to The Weather Channel, this winter storm is Izzy. The storm has already produced dangerous effects this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. For example, parts of North Carolina are now under a 10-inch blanket of snow. In Mississippi, there were four to six inches reported just northeast of Jackson.
Travel concerns will stay in effect for a while, especially as some areas are getting accumulating ice on the ground. For those near the winter storm, they are being advised to keep up with winter alerts for their area.
Impact of Recent Tsunami on West Coast
Meanwhile, those on the West coast are also dealing with their own adverse weather conditions.
A tsunami advisory is in effect for Hawaii, Alaska, as well as the U.S. Pacific coast. The tsunami is a result of the massive volcanic eruption in the South Pacific. Now, according to USA Today, authorities are begging people on the West Coast to stay out of the Pacific Ocean entirely.
As of now, the expectation is that waves will be less than three feet. However, tsunamis have the ability to create unpredictable currents that can be deadly for swimmers as well as boaters. These dangerous waves, currents, and tides are expected to surge throughout the rest of the day.
For example, there were two people fishing at San Gregorio State Beach that needed medical attention after being swept out to sea. There are some beaches that are closed in California to keep people away. Others are still open and are still seeing a good number of surfers and beach-goers.
