Ice covers trees and bushes outside Walmart during extremely cold weather in Cleveland, Mississippi, February 11, 2021.
Rory Doyle | Reuters
Hundreds of Walmart stores have been temporarily closed as winter weather causes severe ice and power outages in Texas, the Southeast and other parts of the country.
The wholesale retailer said 456 stores and clubs closed Tuesday afternoon. It represents nearly 9% of Walmart’s more than 5,300 stores and Sam’s Club locations.
Other retailers and restaurants also closed shops or sent workers home due to the extreme weather. According to his website, Kroger closed some places and shortened hours at stores in Houston and Dallas. Target has closed ten stores due to winter weather, with most in Texas, a company spokesman said.
In Texas, more than 4.2 million people woke up without power on Tuesday because the state’s electricity just could not sustain the record of low heat during record low temperatures. According to the National Weather Service, cold temperatures, snow and sleet are also forecast in many other regions, including New England, the Great Plains and the Mississippi Valley.
The severe weather disrupted service at FedEx’s hub in Memphis, causing packet delays across the US. Shannon Davis, company spokeswoman, said it picks up and delivers delivery in certain cities. She said customers can monitor deliveries and monitor the status of local service on the company’s website.
– CNBC’s Noah Higgins-Dunn contributed to this story.