OXFORD, Miss. – People in Mississippi are being slammed with winter weather as intense snow and ice continue to cover most of the U.S. this weekend.

This comes as a historic winter storm sweeps through 40+ states in the U.S., bringing large bands of heavy snow, winds and freezing temperatures to areas that aren’t accustomed to such conditions.

This includes Oxford, Mississippi, where snow and ice are wreaking havoc on the community, leading to widespread power outages.

CRIPPLING ICE THREATENS MILLIONS IN HISTORIC WINTER STORM PATH WITH MAJOR POWER OUTAGES AND TRAVEL ISSUES

According to Poweroutage.us, over 145,000 people are currently without power in the state of Mississippi. A significant number of customers are without power in Oxford, where snow turned to freezing rain overnight, leaving many without power.

At one point, over 178,000 households were without power, according to Poweroutage.us.

According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, a plethora of trees and power lines have collapsed due to the ongoing intense freeze.

Heavy accumulations of ice can bring down trees, topple utility poles and even communication towers, according to the National Weather Service.

FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell reports from the area where large frozen tree branches lie on top of the roofs of homes and cars. The weight of freezing rain combined with fresh snow is a recipe for these factors to occur.

“The trees are still frozen, the power lines are still frozen, and that means the weight of all that ice can cause these trees and power lines to continue to fall,” Campbell said as she surveyed the damage.

WHAT IS AN ICE STORM?

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves issued a statement saying the number of power outages is expected to continue to rise as freezing temperatures remain and ice accumulates.

MASSIVE WINTER STORM SPAWNS SEVERE WEATHER THREAT ACROSS GULF COAST, TORNADO WATCH ISSUED

Luckily, the wet, wintry weather is expected to ease tonight, just in time for power companies and state officials to catch up on the situation.

Stay with FOX Weather for 24/7 coverage and get live updates on the storm as it blasts the nation with crippling ice and dangerous snow across a 2,300-mile path.