Arctic blast leads to 2 deaths in Upstate SC. Some Southwest flights canceled out of GSP.

The record arctic front that swept through the Upstate resulted in two deaths in Anderson County, thousands of power outages, burst water pipes, airline cancellations and full cold weather shelters.

Anderson County Coroner said Greg Shore said two deaths over the weekend were cold weather-related.

On Christmas Eve, a man was found dead at his home after a power failure in the Ashley Downs subdivision.

"The patient was on an oxygen machine and when the power went out he attempted to switch over to his portable oxygen. But when the regulator was not attached and as he attempted to secure it, he passed out and died," Shore said.

The Coroner’s Office ruled the death natural because he had an underlying medical condition. The winter cold was listed as a contributing factor, Shore said.

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The second death involved a 91-year-old man who was found dead after walking outside his home on Hartview Circle Christmas night to fix a water pipe that had burst.

"He went out to fix it, got wet and went back to the house and changed his wet clothing, (went back outside) to fix it and was exposed to the elements of the weather and was found lying in a ditch outside his home, and was found lying in a ditch outside his home."

The death was ruled accidental due to exposure to the cold, he said.

GSP effected by Southwest flight cancellations

The arctic front stranded thousands of air travelers through the weekend and into Wednesday.

More than 2,500 Southwest flights are canceled Wednesday, after roughly 5,600 cancellations across Monday and Tuesday, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight status in real time. FlightAware is already reporting more than 2,300 Southwest cancellations for Thursday. 

"With consecutive days of extreme winter weather across our network behind us, continuing challenges are impacting our customers and employees in a significant way that is unacceptable," Southwest said in a statement. "As we continue the work to recover our operation, we have made the decision to continue operating a reduced schedule by flying roughly one third of our schedule for the next several days."

Here's what travelers should knowNearly 2/3 of Southwest Airlines flights are canceled Wednesday.

At GSP Airport, one arrival was canceled Saturday, one departure canceled Sunday, and on Monday three arrivals and three departures were canceled, according to GSP spokeswoman Tiffany Cherry.

On Tuesday, there were four Southwest cancellations and two delays at GSP, according to the flight tracking website FlightWare.

There are seven airlines that serve GSP and typically dozens of arrivals and departures each day.

"If a flight is cancelled, passengers are encouraged to reach out to the airline directly," Cherry said.

To check a flight status at GSP, go here.

Record cold Christmas Eve as arctic blast hits Upstate SC, leaving tens of thousands without power

The coldest air mass of the year arrived Saturday morning on Christmas Eve, dropping temperatures to a record low of 7 degrees at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. The previous record low on Christmas Eve at GSP was 8 in 1983.

After a high of only 28 on Christmas Eve, it warmed up to 37 on Christmas Day and 38 on Monday, but with nighttime wind chill values of below zero.

"It was a very rapidly moving cold front that brought in a cold air mass from Canada and just didn't have time to modify," said meteorologist Steve Wilkinson of the National Weather Service at GSP. "It wasn't an all-time record-breaking cold, but it was significant."

Duke Energy reported tens of thousands of power outages in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties over the weekend. The utility asked customers to conserve electricity as it implemented rolling blackouts to about 500,000 customers in the Carolinas.

“Extremely cold temperatures combined with increasing customer demand strained the electric grid across the country,” said Jason Hollifield, Carolinas Storm Director, in a Christmas Day press release. “We are grateful for our customers who saved energy.”

Frozen and burst pipes an issue across Upstate

Frozen and burst water pipes were also a problem over the weekend, according to Spartanburg Water spokeswoman Jennifer Candler.

She said there were hundreds of calls from customers reporting leaks stemming from pipes that had cracked or burst from the cold.

"(Team members) worked around the clock, even on Christmas, to respond and help shut offf the water so tht customers could then repair the leaks," Candler said.

Spartanburg County Emergency Management Coordinator Robbie Swofford said there were water line bursts at at least two apartment complexes,

"The property owners resolved all issues that we were made aware," Swofford said. "It would seem that most responders and residents fared well with the biggest inconveniences being the rolling blackouts or water line bursts."

The Harvest Hope Food Bank in Greenville was also flooded due to busted pipes.

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office Emergency Management department posted on its Facebook page that "Customers of the Belton Honea Path Water Authority, City of Belton Water and Town of Honea Path Water, are asked to conserve water usage and check properties for any potential water leaks, shutting the water leaks off. Please be sure to check properties that are not occupied as well, to make sure there are no leaks or damaged pipes at these places, and make every effort possible to eliminate such as happening."

There is an extraordinary amount of leaks on the consumer side of the water lines. These measures are an attempt to prevent the area from running out of water, as the tanks are emptying quicker than normal. Please be aware of the amount of water that is being used and try to conserve it as much as possible. State and local officials are aware of these issues and are doing their best to plan a remedy for this problem. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter."

Should a return to frigid weather return, residents, business offices and agencies are asked to do the following: Identify the main water shutoff in case there is a leak, insulate water pipes where possible and let faucets drip at night to keep water circulating through pipes.

Warmup ahead for Upstate SC

There is encouraging news on the weather front.

Wilkinson said a gradual warming trend this week will continue into next week, with no signs of another arctic air mass on the horizon.

"Looking out 10 days, it's showing us a warm, wet pattern," he said. "I don't see any cold pattern ahead."

Rain is in the forecast Friday night and Saturday and again on Tuesday, but daytime highs will reach the mid-50s by Thursday, upper-50s Friday and Saturday, then then in the 60s Monday through Tuesday.

Reporter Royale Bonds contributed to this report.