WI: The Great Northeast Blackout of 2003 happens in the winter?

In OTL the Great North East Blackout of 2003 occured in the middle of summer, greatly limiting it's impact. However, the North American Power Grid was a ticking time bomb, and the blackout would've happened eventually anyway. So, what if a blackout on the same scale as the Great North East, leaving millions of people without power for days, had occured durring the winter, when the lack of electric heat could very well have killed people? How high would the casaulty figures have been? What would be the political fallout compared to OTL?
 
We go through exactly that during periodic severe winter storms here in Indiana. There are always news stories of a handful of people dying because of the power failure of 1-4 days. Otherwise people miss a lot of work & business. Some like tow truck drivers or tree cutters make extra money during & after the storm. Of course the electric company employees get some overtime pay dealing with the emergency.
 
It might be comparable to the Great Ice Storm of 1998, but without, well, all the ice, so roads and such would be much more accessible, and people wouldn't have as many injuries from slipping on ice. Short of a snowstorm or something of the sort, I'd say the casualties would be less than those for the ice storm.
 
Well part of the reason the blackout was in the summer is because the grid is taxed a lot more due to A/C.

Blackout of that size in winter is possible, and would be awful for many people.
 
It might be comparable to the Great Ice Storm of 1998, but without, well, all the ice, so roads and such would be much more accessible, and people wouldn't have as many injuries from slipping on ice. Short of a snowstorm or something of the sort, I'd say the casualties would be less than those for the ice storm.

I was thinking first of the ice storms circa 1988 or 1991. I'd actually forgotten that of 98. The details of those in the 1970s or 60s escape me. A bit too long ago :confused:
 
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