Snow, floods in Calif. make travel treacherous

Persistent storm heads next to the Midwest

Parts of California as well as the Plains and Midwest saw more snow Wednesday, and some areas were expected to get up to 5 feet.

California was recovering from what meteorologists called a “bomb cyclone” that battered the state Tuesday, killing two people. The snowfall was forecast to reach into Nevada, and some southern parts of the state were expected to get 20 inches. Meanwhile, North Dakota and Minnesota were expecting another round of snow, with some areas receiving up to 7 inches.

The same storm that brought wintry weather to California will spread east Thursday and Friday. AccuWeather meteorologists warned about possible flooding and severe weather from the southern Plains to the Southeast.

Winter storm conditions were hitting central and southern California, as well as swaths of southern Nevada. At lower elevations, locally heavy rain and snowmelt could cause flooding in Southern California and central Arizona, the National Weather Service warned.

Thanks to strong winds across the state Tuesday, more than 100,000 homes and businesses in California were without power as of early Wednesday, according to the utility tracker PowerOutage. us.

A winter storm warning was in effect along Santa Barbara County’s interior mountains. The area was expecting snow accumulations of up to 2 feet in areas above 6,000 feet. Two to 10 inches of snow was possible in areas above 3,500 feet, with winds gusting up to 65 mph.

Farther northeast in the Sierra Nevada region, heavy snow of up to 5 feet was expected, with winds gusting up to 60 mph.

A winter storm warning blanketed the southern half of Nevada, with snow accumulations of 20 inches forecasted in some mountainous areas. Travel could be impossible for drivers as blowing snow reduced visibility.

Heavy snow also was expected in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota.

Travel will be dangerous in the area, with hazardous road conditions for evening commutes.

If people must drive, they should keep an extra flashlight, food and water in their vehicles, the National Weather Service said.

JUSTIN SULLIVAN/ GETTY IMAGES Structures are buried in snow Monday in Twin Bridges, Calif. The Lake Tahoe region is preparing for more snow.