A vast winter system, dubbed Winter Storm Fern, is driving a dangerous ice storm from Texas through the South and into the Mid-Atlantic, affecting well over 170 million people – close to 50% of the US population.
More than 10,000 flights have been cancelled and nearly 100,000 power outages have been reported, already.
Live poker has also been affected, with the Lodge Card Club in Austin announcing it will close today at 5pm and cancel all tournaments through Monday.
The club has announced it will be "paying out all bagged players via an ICM chop" in the $150,000 guaranteed tournament that is in-running. It says it has collected $97,755 in entry fees and will be adding to this to make $100,000, which will be paid out to players.
It’s also awarding seats to next week’s $600 buy-in, $250,000 GTD RunGood Main Event – with the 10 largest stacks each receiving a seat.
Lodge: Safety must come first
In its statement, the club wrote: “Our hope is that players can collect their winnings on Monday, weather permitting. We’re truly sorry to everyone who has been impacted. We know many of you planned your day around this, and this is the last outcome we wanted, but safety must come first."
It's reported that more than half of all Americans will endure sub-zero wind chills over the next few days, with the storm expected to stretch through the weekend and into next week.
Whatever your plans this weekend, stay safe out there.
