Number of Dead Rises to 9, Including Elementary School Teacher, in Winter Storm That Left 800K Without Power

As the death toll rises from this weekend’s winter storm, hundreds of thousands remain without power as states continue to navigate dangerously low temperatures, snow and ice.

Late last week and into the weekend, Winter Storm Fern swept across huge swaths of the country, leaving nine people dead in five states, NBC News reported: Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Texas.

Five people were also found dead in New York City on Saturday, Jan. 24, though officials continue to investigate if winter conditions caused their deaths. 

“It is still too early to say what the cause of death was for any of the five of them,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference on Sunday, Jan. 25, according to NBC. “And it seems at this moment that we do not think any of them were homeless.”

“We mourn the loss of any and every New Yorker,” he continued, “and we are keeping those five New Yorkers in our thoughts, as well as their friends and their family.”

Millions of Americans have been under weather advisories, from the Central and Southern Plains to the Northeast, with approximately 830,000 homes and businesses losing power because power lines were brought down by ice, The New York Times reported.

Numerous schools were also closed on Monday, Jan. 26, and some transportation lines in major cities struggled to relaunch, according to the paper. 

A large number of flights have also been affected, with 12,000 canceled on Sunday and more than 3,500 cancellations anticipated on Monday, NBC reported. 

As the impact of the storm dissipates for some Americans, the Northeast will continue to receive heavy snow through Monday night, according to the National Weather Service.

“Extremely cold air behind the storm will prolong dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts,” according to the agency. “Sub-zero low temperatures are expected nearly every morning from the Northern Plains through the Ohio Valley and into the Northeast.”

Meanwhile, a front will bring lake-effect snow to the Great Lakes region through Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In Kansas, an elementary school is mourning a beloved teacher, 28-year-old Rebecca Rauber, who was found dead on Sunday, PEOPLE previously reported.

She went missing after leaving a bar in Emporia, Kan., late on Friday night, the Emporia Police Department said in a statement.

Her body was found covered in snow in a wooded area nearby two days later, after she possibly succumbed to hypothermia, officials said.