Sprawling US Winter Storm Strains Power Grids, Snarls Travel

A massive US winter storm stretching from the southern Rocky Mountains to New England is straining power systems, causing cascading travel disruptions, while threatening large amounts of snow and ice in some of the country’s most densely populated corridors.

The travel disturbance is shaping up to be the worst since the US government shutdown last year, which led to air traffic control staffing shortages at airports nationwide. The same weather system is pushing electricity demand sharply higher, raising the risk of outages in several regions.