Winter Storm Gianna Deepens Supply Chain Crisis in Southeast, Following Fern's Widespread Disruption
A one-two punch of severe winter weather has brought freight movement across a vast swath of the United States to a grinding halt, with the latest storm, Gianna, exacerbating supply chain chaos just days after Winter Storm Fern swept through.
The National Weather Service reported snowfall reaching up to 18 inches in parts of North Carolina, where the storm's most tragic consequence was a massive 100-vehicle pileup on Interstate 85 Sunday. The severe conditions have been blamed for at least four fatalities across North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia, with over 100,000 customers still without power as of Monday.
The operational fallout for logistics networks has been severe. FedEx Express suspended service in nearly 121 North Carolina ZIP codes, with FedEx Ground halting operations in 426 ZIP codes across the state. Disruptions have rippled across more than a dozen states, from Texas to Virginia, affecting thousands of postal codes.
"This isn't just a snow day; it's a systemic breakdown," said Marcus Chen, a logistics analyst based in Atlanta. "Back-to-back storms of this magnitude create a domino effect that will take weeks, not days, to untangle. The infrastructure was already strained."
Data from supply chain visibility platform FourKites reveals the scale of the initial disruption. During the week of Winter Storm Fern (Jan. 20-26), national shipment volumes collapsed by more than 55% week-over-week. The Texas Gulf Coast and Southeast were hardest hit, with freight activity dropping nearly 70%.
"We're monitoring how quickly the network can clear the backlog," said Stephen Dyke of FourKites last Friday. "Recovery typically takes several days to weeks, but Gianna hit an unusually wide area, which could extend that timeline significantly."
The ripple effects are being felt from the warehouse to the rail yard. Trucking giant Landstar System warned that the storms could negatively impact first-quarter performance metrics for its owner-operators. Schneider National's CEO, Mark Rourke, noted the "interesting start" to the quarter, citing large customer backlogs but also "premium opportunities" to navigate the disruption.
On the rails, CSX temporarily shuttered intermodal terminals in North Carolina, while its competitor BNSF Railway was still recovering from Fern's impacts as Gianna arrived.
"It's an absolute disgrace," fumed Eleanor Vance, a small business owner in Asheville, NC, whose inventory is stuck in a FedEx hub. "We're told to have contingency plans, but what are we supposed to do when the entire system fails? These delays are bleeding small businesses dry."
Industry experts suggest the consecutive storms highlight chronic vulnerabilities. Barry Kukkuk of Netstock advised shippers to front-load inventory ahead of known risk periods. "Extreme weather exposes where inventory strategies are already under strain," he said, noting that unpredictable lead times make reactive planning especially risky during storm season.
"The data is a stark warning," added David Park, a professor of supply chain management. "These events are becoming more frequent and severe. Resilience is no longer a luxury; it's a baseline requirement for operational survival. Companies that haven't diversified their logistics networks are learning a very costly lesson."
With both FedEx and UPS maintaining weather contingency alerts, the focus now shifts to a slow and complicated recovery, with the threat of further winter weather looming.