Nationwide Arctic Blast Blamed for 41+ Deaths as Officials Warn of Icy‑Injury Risks and Second Storm Looms
At least 41 people have died in the Arctic blast — with some outlets reporting 42 — including three young brothers who fell through a frozen pond in Bonham, Texas and multiple cold-related deaths in New York City; officials also report hundreds of thousands of customers still without power (roughly 400,000–480,000), localized carbon-monoxide fatalities, and delayed restorations in parts of Mississippi. The National Weather Service warns a new, potentially intense winter storm and an extended, record-chilly cold snap could bring heavy snow and lake-effect accumulations to parts of the East Coast, and officials and medical experts urge caution for icy conditions — avoid thin ice, use “penguin” shuffling steps to prevent falls, and heed carbon-monoxide safety guidance.
📌 Key Facts
- Officials now report at least 42 confirmed deaths across affected states tied to the winter storm; some outlets noted counts of 41 confirmed with about 20 additional possibly storm-related deaths still being verified.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said 10 people were found dead in the cold in NYC, though not all causes have been officially confirmed.
- Hundreds of thousands remain without power (reports range from more than 400,000 to over 480,000 outages), concentrated in Tennessee and Mississippi (over half), and with major impacts in Louisiana, Texas and other Southern and Southeastern states; Entergy warned some Grenada, Mississippi customers may not have power restored until Sunday.
- The National Weather Service warns a fresh surge of Arctic air and a new winter storm may hit parts of the East Coast this weekend — forecasters flagged the possibility of a 'bomb cyclone' for Massachusetts and parts of the Northeast, 1–2+ feet of lake-effect snow for western/upstate New York, and temperatures 15–25°F below normal that could produce the longest cold spell in decades (some northern Florida locations could drop to around 25°F).
- Tragic incidents and rescues: three brothers, ages 6, 8 and 9, died after falling through ice on a private pond near Bonham, Texas; Oakland County, Michigan reported six ice rescues on its roughly 450 lakes in nine days, and officials warned no lake ice should be assumed safe because unseen currents and springs create weak spots.
- Safety and health risks escalated as residents used gas stoves and portable heaters after power losses; the CDC warned of carbon monoxide poisoning risk and at least one CO death was reported in Louisiana.
- Medical guidance and injury patterns: emergency physicians in southeast Michigan identified common ice-fall injuries — closed-head trauma, outstretched-hand/wrist fractures, and hip fractures that often require surgery — and experts recommend precautions such as the 'penguin protocol' (short, shuffling steps with a forward lean) and avoiding falls onto outstretched hands to reduce severe injuries.
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 28, 2026
6:13 PM
Common sense and slowing down are the keys to avoiding icy weather accidents
New information:
- Emergency physicians in southeast Michigan report three dominant categories of ice-fall injuries: closed-head trauma, outstretched-hand and wrist fractures, and hip fractures that almost always require surgery.
- A Denver spine and pain specialist is urging a 'penguin protocol'—short, shuffling steps with a forward lean—to reduce slips, and advises avoiding falls on outstretched hands to protect shoulders and elbows.
- Oakland County, Michigan’s sheriff reports six ice rescues on the county’s roughly 450 lakes in nine days even before the latest cold snap, and warns no lake ice should be assumed safe because unseen currents and springs can create weak spots.
6:06 PM
Dozens confirmed dead as extreme cold continues to grip much of U.S.
New information:
- Confirms at least 41 deaths directly caused by storm conditions or weather-related accidents, plus about 20 additional deaths that appear storm-related but are still being verified.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reports 10 people found dead in the cold in NYC, though not all causes are yet officially confirmed.
- More than 400,000 power outages remain, concentrated in Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, with additional outages in Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina and Georgia.
- National Weather Service warns this could be the longest duration of cold in several decades, with temperatures 15–25°F below normal across the eastern U.S.
- Meteorologists flag a fresh surge of Arctic air later this week and warn of a possible "bomb cyclone" this weekend for Massachusetts and parts of the Northeast, with 1–2+ feet of lake-effect snow expected in western and upstate New York.
January 27, 2026
11:40 PM
News Wrap: At least 42 deaths connected to massive winter storm
New information:
- Confirms that at least 42 people have died as a result of the same winter storm system discussed in the existing story.
- Frames the death toll explicitly as connected to 'last weekend's winter storm,' reinforcing timing and scope.
- Packages the storm toll alongside other national items (TikTok settlement, NTSB midair finding, Iran protest deaths), underscoring its prominence in the national news agenda.
11:16 PM
Winter storm deaths rise and power outages linger as bitter cold grips the eastern U.S.
New information:
- Confirms three brothers ages 6, 8 and 9 in Bonham, Texas died Monday after falling through ice on a private pond, with specific retrieval details and school-district reaction.
- Updates that more than 480,000 homes and businesses remain without power, over half in Tennessee and Mississippi, and that Entergy says some Grenada, Mississippi customers may lack power until Sunday.
- Provides on-the-ground detail from Lexington, Mississippi, where residents are using gas stoves and heaters to stay warm after losing power Sunday, alongside CDC warnings about carbon-monoxide risk and at least one CO death reported in Louisiana.
10:35 PM
Bitter cold grips the eastern U.S. as storm deaths rise and power outages linger
New information:
- Officials now report at least 42 deaths across affected states tied to the storm and Arctic cold.
- Fannin County Sheriff Cody Shook confirmed three brothers, ages 6, 8 and 9, died after falling through ice on a private pond near Bonham, Texas; Bonham ISD publicly mourned the loss.
- More than 480,000 customers remain without power, over half in Tennessee and Mississippi; Entergy says some of its 6,000 customers in Grenada, Mississippi may not have power restored until Sunday.
- The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center warns a new winter storm may hit parts of the East Coast this weekend and that expected low temperatures could be the coldest in years, with the longest cold spell in decades for some places, including parts of northern Florida dropping to around 25°F.