In response to the severe weather, governors in multiple states have declared a state of emergency. Credit: K-FK/Shutterstock.

A recent winter storm in the US has caused significant power outages across the central and southern US, affecting more than 189,000 homes and businesses, according to a report by Reuters, citing sources.

The storm brought snow, ice and freezing temperatures, leading to widespread disruption. As the US braces for further challenges, blizzard conditions are expected to persist in several states.

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The National Weather Service had indicated that the storm was likely to move offshore late on Monday, making way for Arctic air that will significantly lower daytime temperatures.

In response to the severe weather, governors in multiple states including Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia and Virginia have declared states of emergency to address the ongoing situation, the report stated.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) announced a weather watch from 6 to 10 January, anticipating that the cold weather across its region could increase electricity demand while reducing reserves.

Despite these concerns, ERCOT has forecasted that grid operations will remain normal during the weather watch period.

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In addition, transmission organisation PJM Interconnection has issued a cold weather advisory for its western region, which encompasses parts of Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania, from 8 to 10 January.

This advisory is designed to assist power producers in preparing for extreme weather and ensuring a reliable electricity supply during times of high demand.

According to the report, Appalachian Power Company reported the highest number of affected customers, with 43,850 without power in Virginia and 28,525 in West Virginia.

CenterPoint Energy Indiana also reported significant outages, with 33,364 clients experiencing power disruptions in Indiana.

Virginia experienced the highest number of outages, with 55,709 reported. This was followed by Kentucky with 36,012 outages, and Indiana, which had 35,811 outages.

West Virginia faced 32,135 outages, while Illinois reported 29,387. In total, the outages across these states amounted to 189,054.