However, about 45 million people in the Northwest, Northeast and mid-Atlantic still were under winter weather advisories or warnings Friday morning.
Snow and/or freezing rain is hitting parts of the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast for a second day on Friday. Dangerous, icy conditions were being reported in parts of North Carolina and Virginia. Freezing rain also was falling Friday in parts of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Snow in the Northeast is expected to linger much of the day, with the heaviest — an additional 2-4 inches — possible in New England. Parts of the Northwest, meanwhile, is expected to see rain and mountain snow Friday.
Wintry weather has led to the deaths of at least 38 people across the country since February 11.
Water and power outages for many in Texas
Although power is coming back to many Texas homes after freezing temperatures knocked it out for days, millions of Texans still face related water service disruptions Friday.
About 13.5 million Texans, nearly half the state’s population, faced disruptions in water service as of Thursday — many of whom were under boil-water advisories — the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said.
A deep freeze starting Sunday had crippled utilities’ power generation, sending residents scrambling for alternative heating through generators, fireplaces, living in running cars, or sheltering in powered warming centers or businesses.
Elsewhere in the country, about 400,000 other customers were without power Friday morning, including about 100,000 in Mississippi.
Texas resident Ehren Williamson’s power and water was recently restored, he told CNN Thursday. But now Williamson had to worry about finding food to eat, and drinking water because of a boil-water advisory.
“We went to multiple H-E-B (stores) and searched for about six to eight hours Tuesday for food,” he told CNN by phone from Pflugerville, Texas.
On Thursday, Williamson waited in line for an hour at an H-E-B. Once inside the store, he found no water.
“We had no warning,” he said. “We were given the impression that it wasn’t going to be bad. I didn’t even see the rolling blackout warnings. It just went dark.”
Had he been warned, he said he would have stocked up on food, water and a backup generator.
Other states also dealing with snow & ice
Texas is not the only state feeling the fury of the winter weather.
“It kind of sounded like somebody blew off some dynamite the way it came down and just hit real hard,” resident Hope Woods told WXII. “We were brushing our teeth and I was like ‘OK I hear a bunch of commotion.’ So we look out the window and there’s this giant tree crushed on all the cars.”
Ian Poush has been driving doctors, nurses, or any medical support staff who need help getting to work or home from their shifts, but can’t navigate the icy roads.
“Your regular hospital staff that needed to be there, your maintenance staff, your security guards, they’re essential as well. Yes, they’re not directly treating patients, but the doctors and nurses need them there,” Poush told WPVI.
Warmer air ahead
But highs will creep above freezing in most of those areas, and the air will gradually warm over the weekend. And by Wednesday, highs are expected to range from the 60s to the 80s in much of Texas