400,000 without power in Mississippi and Tennessee after ice storm

A severe ice storm left more than 400,000 customers without power across Mississippi and Tennessee, and utilities say full restoration may take several more days.

A severe winter storm, called Winter Storm Fern in reports, coated parts of Mississippi and Tennessee with freezing rain and ice and caused widespread damage to power lines and poles. More than 400,000 customers in the region were reported without electricity. Officials said crews are working long shifts to restore service, but hazardous road conditions, low temperatures and strong winds have slowed progress. Warming shelters have opened in some communities and emergency declarations covered many affected areas. Key facts: - More than 400,000 customers in Mississippi and Tennessee were reported without power, based on utility reports and outage tracking. - Tennessee reported about 175,000 outages, including nearly 120,000 in Nashville and Davidson County. - Mississippi officials cited broken poles and nearly 1,000 spans of wire down across parts of the state, and Tennessee Emergency Management reported about 189 broken poles. - Crews are working extended 14- to 16-hour shifts, but hazardous roads and continuing cold mean utilities say full restoration may take several more days or stretch into the weekend. Summary: The storm damaged power infrastructure across the region and left hundreds of thousands without electricity, complicating travel and recovery in areas less prepared for prolonged winter weather. Utilities report ongoing repair work and a likely multi-day restoration timeline; exact completion is undetermined at this time.