The great winter storm in the United States could punish California

PIERRE, SD (AP) — A brutal winter storm that has trapped drivers on icy roads, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes, grounded flights and closed schools across much of the United States is expected to hit the California Thursday.

“A VERY busy week ahead of us!” tweeted the San Diego office of the National Weather Service. “We have issued warnings for dangerous winds, heavy snowfall in the mountains, very dangerous sailing conditions, and the list goes on.”

For the first time since 1989, the weather service issued a blizzard warning for the mountains of southern California that would be in effect through Saturday. Some coastal areas could see waves of 3 meters (10 feet) and some up to 4.3 meters (14 feet) on Thursday, experts said.

“Almost everyone in California will be able to see snow from a vantage point this week if they look in the right direction (i.e. surrounding higher hills),” the UCLA climatologist tweeted. , Daniel Swain.

Part of a series expected to affect the country throughout the week, the storm wreaked havoc from coast to coast. As of Wednesday, more than 65 million people were under weather alerts in more than two dozen states.

Winter weather has hit the northern United States hard, where schools, offices and even the Minnesota Legislature have been closed. Some 90 churches in western Michigan have canceled Ash Wednesday services, WZZM-TV reported.

Roads in much of southern Wyoming were impassable, the state Department of Transportation said on social media.

Rescuers were trying to reach people trapped in vehicles but faced an “almost impossible situation,” said Wyoming Highway Patrol Sergeant Jeremy Beck.

“They already know where they are, but it is difficult for them to get to” where they are needed, he added.

In the Pacific Northwest, high winds and snow in the Cascade Mountains prevented search teams from reaching the bodies of three climbers who died in an avalanche on Washington’s Colchuck Peak over the weekend.

Heavier-than-expected snowfall during peak hours caused traffic accidents in Portland, Oregon, and hour-long traffic jams. The regional bus service provided free rides for the homeless to shelters where they could warm up.

In Arizona, about 180 miles (289 kilometers) of Interstate 40 was closed, while New Mexico State Police closed roads in Gallup, along the border with Arizoan.

The National Weather Service warned of the possibility of blinding gale blizzards, particularly Thursday afternoon and evening, when up to half an inch (1.2 centimeters) of snow could fall per hour.

In California, a blizzard warning was in effect Saturday for the Sierra Nevada highlands, where forecasters expected several feet (about a meter) of snow and wind gusts of 60 miles per hour, with temperatures can drop to -40 Fahrenheit (-40 degrees Celsius).

Power grids suffered as ice engulfed power lines in the north and winds knocked down wires or tangled tree branches and other debris in California.

More than 579,000 customers were without power in Michigan as of Wednesday night, along with more than 117,000 in Illinois and about 45,000 in California, according to the PowerOutage.us website.

The weather also forced nearly 1,800 flights to be canceled and more than 6,000 delayed in the United States, according to flight data service FlightAware.

Few places were spared by the weather, including some at opposite ends. Old records were broken in cities across the Northwest, Mid-Atlantic Coast, and Southeast.

No relief was expected this week. In the north of the country, more than 18 inches (46 centimeters) of snow could accumulate in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the National Weather Service announced Wednesday evening.

The storm would move towards the east coast throughout the week. Places with no snow could register dangerous frosts, experts have warned.

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Salter reported from O’Fallon, Missouri; Sarah Brumfield in Wyoming; Eugene Johnson in Seattle; Corey Williams in Detroit; Thomas Peipert in Denver; Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City, Utah; David Koenig in Dallas; John Antczak and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Ore.; Julie Walker in New York, Amy Forliti in Minneapolis, and Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minnesota contributed to this report.