Historic winter storm leaves more than two dozen dead

A massive winter storm swept across much of the United States, leaving at least 29 people dead and causing widespread power outages and travel disruptions; federal disaster declarations and state emergency orders were announced as authorities responded.

A massive winter storm moved through much of the United States over the weekend, bringing heavy snow, sleet, ice and an Arctic blast of cold. Officials reported at least 29 deaths and said hundreds of thousands of people remained without power Monday evening. The storm prompted extensive travel disruption, including thousands of flight cancellations, and officials announced disaster and emergency declarations in multiple states. Response efforts were underway as communities dealt with infrastructure impacts and lingering extreme cold. Known details: - Officials reported at least 29 deaths linked to the storm; investigations into causes were reported as ongoing. - Hundreds of thousands of customers were without power Monday evening, with major outages concentrated in several Southern states, according to PowerOutage.com. - More than 16,000 scheduled flights were canceled from Saturday through Monday and many more were delayed, according to FlightAware. - The president approved federal disaster declarations for multiple states, and the Department of Homeland Security said 17 states and the District of Columbia had declared weather emergencies. Summary: The storm produced widespread power outages, heavy snow and extreme cold that continued to disrupt travel and services across large parts of the country. Officials have issued disaster and emergency declarations to coordinate response. Undetermined at this time.