SEATTLE DIGS OUT FROM SNOWSTORM,
SEATTLE — Winter weather pounded a swath of the U.S. West on Monday, closing schools, snarling traffic and turning coastal cities such as Seattle that rarely get much snow unusually white, while the Midwest warmed up from a dangerous blast of cold last week.
It comes as parts of California and Montana brace for the threat of mudslides and avalanches and the middle of the country grapples with the fallout from the polar vortex, which is linked to at least 30 deaths in several states.
The Pacific Northwest’s first major winter snowstorm hit western Washington hardest, closing numerous schools in Seattle and nearby cities, cancelling flights and ferry service, and leading to car crashes but no major injuries.
Snow was heaviest just north and east of Seattle, with 20 to 25 centimetres in some towns. Temperatures were expected to be lower than normal this week, with lows below 0 Celsius, the U.S. National Weather Service said.
Some Oregon residents also woke up to several centimetres of snow in northern coastal communities.
The storm system lingering over the Northwest has sent waves of snow into the Northern Rocky Mountains, where it mixed with a blast of frigid arctic air and gusting winds to create hazardous driving conditions and dangerous wind chills 40 degrees below zero and lower.
The cold closed or delayed schools Monday. Much of western and northern Montana will likely see subzero temperatures until at least Wednesday, weather service meteorologist Cody Moldan said.
“We’re kind of stuck in a cold pattern,” Moldan said.
Similar conditions prevailed on the Canadian Prairies. The forecast high and low in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Monday were -25 and -38, respectively, with no relief in sight until the weekend.
Today’s forecast low in Saskatoon is -36 and Wednesday’s is -41, without the windchill.
Most of Central Canada has warmed up considerably since last week. Monday’s forecast high in Toronto was 11, with an overnight low of one.
In the U.S., snow and rain throughout California threatened flash flooding where massive wildfires roared through communities last year and dangerous driving conditions in the latest of a series of storms over the past few days.
Forecasters predicted up to 7.5 centimetres of rain for some parts of Southern California. Officials warned of flash flooding in the Malibu area, where a wildfire destroyed homes and burned hillsides bare. Mud carried trees and rocks onto many roads, shutting them down.
Southeast of Los Angeles, where an August blaze scorched a huge area in the Cleveland National Forest, crews removed debris and deepened a creek bed to help prevent flooding. Residents were urged to prepare to evacuate if there is flash flooding.
The weather service issued a winter storm warning for the Los Angeles and Ventura County mountains through Wednesday, with more than 30 centimetres of snow expected at higher elevations.
A winter storm that swept across California and Nevada dumped as much as 2.5 metres of snow over the weekend, with much more expected. In parts of California’s Sierra Nevada, officials issued blizzard and avalanche warnings through Monday night, warning that cold conditions in the northern mountain range could become life-threatening.