Washington, Dec. 24 (BNA): A powerful winter storm left nearly two million homes and businesses across the United States without power Saturday, leaving millions of people concerned about the impact that the prospect of more outages could have on vacation and travel plans.
Blizzards, freezing rain and freezing cold that drenched much of the country knocked out power to 1.7 million homes and businesses, while a major power grid operator warned the 65 million people it serves across the eastern US that power outages may be required.
Pennsylvania-based PJM Interconnection said power plants are having a hard time operating in cold weather and asked residents to refrain from non-essential use of electricity, reports the Associated Press.
And it issued an emergency call for conservation system wide — telling residents in 13 states to set thermostats lower than normal, to delay using major appliances like stoves and dishwashers and to turn off non-essential lights. Commercial and industrial power users were also asked to cut back.
The storm was almost unprecedented in its scope, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico.
About 60% of the US population has experienced some type of winter weather warning or warning, the National Weather Service said, and temperatures have dropped significantly below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians.
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