- Walmart temporarily closed 500 stores across the country due to severe winter storms.
- Parts of the South have been hit by snow, ice and cold temperatures since last week.
- Texas was hit particularly hard and President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency.
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Walmart has temporarily closed more than 500 stores while an unprecedented winter storm hits much of the southern half of the U.S.
According to a tracker on the Walmart website, 501 stores are closed, from Texas to Kentucky, due to the winter storm Uri, which poured snow and ice and caused cold temperatures in the South since last week.
“Due to winter storms in many areas of the United States, we are closing some locations for the safety of our associates and customers,” said Walmart in a tweet on Monday.
The company continually updates a store closure map on its website.
Many of Walmart’s closings are concentrated in Texas, which was hit by a winter storm that hit the region last Thursday. The icy conditions caused 130 cars to be shelved on a highway near Fort Worth, leaving six dead and more than 60 injured. In response to bad weather, Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration on Friday for all 254 counties in Texas.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Texas, ordering federal aid to be sent to the region.
On Monday, more than 3.6 million Texans were left without power after the Texas Electric Reliability Council began promoting blackouts across the state. Other Texas-based energy providers have warned that demand for electricity during the storm has exceeded supply. Since then, blackouts have extended beyond Texas, Kansas, Missouri and 12 other states.
The storm is causing tornadoes in parts of Florida and Georgia, and three people were killed by a tornado in North Carolina. Winter weather is expected to pass through the Northeast on Tuesday, bringing up to 25 inches of snow to New England.
Now, a second storm is expected to hit the South on Wednesday, bringing additional snow and ice to Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas.