More than 300,000 homes in 9 US states without power as it batters winter storm
United States on Tuesday, foreshadowing an impending harsh freeze over the weekend and causing power outages for more than 302,000 homes and businesses across nine states.
The most severely affected states included Georgia, where over 65,000 power outages occurred, Florida with over 62,000 outages, and Alabama with more than 58,000 outages, as reported by PowerOutage.us. Southern Co manages the largest power companies in Georgia and Alabama, while NextEra Energy holds the position of the major power provider in Florida.
This extreme weather event serves as a stark reminder of the February 2021 freeze that left millions in Texas and other central U.S. states without power, water, and heat for days. Additionally, a winter storm in December 2022, known as Elliott in the energy industry, nearly caused the collapse of power and natural gas systems in parts of the eastern half of the country.
The current storm is enveloping an extensive region, stretching from Minnesota in the north to Alabama in the south, and from Kansas in the west to North Carolina in the east, according to AccuWeather.com. It is progressing towards the U.S. East Coast and the Northeast.
Anticipating the most frigid weather in over a year since the December 2022 storm, LSEG financial firm data suggests that natural gas demand, which heats approximately half the homes in the country, is projected to reach a daily record of 169.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) on Monday, Jan. 15.
This forecasted record gas usage, inclusive of exports, coincides with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, even though numerous businesses and government offices will be closed for the extended U.S. holiday weekend. If
