U.S. ravaged from California to northern Plains
Dangerous winter weather trapped drivers on icy roads, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands and grounded multiple flights from California through the northern Plains on Thursday.
For the first time since 1989, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning through Saturday for Southern California mountains. Forecasters predicted “multiple rounds of new snowfall” with accumulations of up to 3 to 5 feet for the Sierra Nevada region.
Rare snow is also expected over some lower foothills and valley areas near the Pacific Coast, the weather service said, “given the depth of cold air that has infiltrated the West.”
The intense moisture in the air also creates an increased risk of flash flooding through Saturday, forecasters said. Some coastal areas could see waves as high as 10 to 14 feet through Thursday, forecasters said.
The series of storms sowed chaos from coast to coast. At one point Wednesday, more than 65 million people in more than two dozen states were under weather alerts.
The weather service said temperatures in some parts of the upper Midwest could reach 40 degrees below average, while high readings on Thursday in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast could get to 40 degrees above average.
The wintry mix hit hard in the northern U.S., closing schools and offices and forcing churches to call off Ash
Wednesday services.
In Wyoming, the state Transportation Department posted on social media that roads across much of the southern part of the state were impassable.
Rescuers tried to reach people stranded in vehicles but high winds and drifting snow created a “near-impossible situation” for them, said Sgt. Jeremy Beck of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
In the Pacific Northwest, high winds and heavy snow in the Cascade Mountains prevented search teams from reaching the bodies of three climbers killed in an avalanche on Washington’s Colchuck Peak over the weekend.
Traffic disrupted
Unexpectedly heavy snow during afternoon rush hour Wednesday sent dozens of cars spinning out in Portland, Oregon, and caused hourslong traffic jams. The regional bus service offered free rides to warming shelters for homeless individuals.
In Arizona, several interstates and other highways were closed due to high winds, falling temperatures and blowing snow. The Arizona Department of Transportation advised people not to travel. Forecasters said snow could fall at a rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour on Thursday.
In California, a blizzard warning was in effect through Saturday for higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, where forecasters said conditions could include several feet of snow blown by 60-mph gusts and wind chill could drop the temperature to minus 40 degrees.