Trisha Ahmed et Jim Salter, The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Several states in the northern United States began Wednesday to feel the effects of a winter storm that could bury some areas under sixty centimeters of snow and generate intense winds and cold.
Many schools have closed in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin, as have multiple businesses. The Minnesota Legislature adjourned until Monday. Several South Dakota government offices were closed and employees were working remotely.
Virtually every road in Wyoming was affected, including several that were closed across the state. Officials have warned that the situation could continue for several days.
Officials have asked the public to avoid travel due to whiteout conditions that may prevail.
The bad weather will then slide towards the east coast of the country. Meteorologists are anticipating about a centimeter of ice over southern Michigan, northern Illinois and some eastern states.
Unprecedented snowfall is expected, even in a region accustomed to winter storms. It could fall up to 65 centimeters of flakes, and the heaviest accumulations are expected in east-central Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin, according to the US National Weather Service.
Gusts of 75 kilometers per hour are predicted and the mercury could plunge to -46 degrees Celsius, with wind chill, in the Dakotas and Minnesota.
There could be 60 centimeters of snow in the Minneapolis-St. Paul for the first time in over 30 years. A first round of precipitation is expected Wednesday afternoon, then a second, more intense, between Wednesday and Thursday.
More than 1,200 flights had been canceled across the country by midday, with about a third departing from or arriving at Minneapolis-St. Paul.
AccuWeather meteorologists warn that sleet is possible along a swath of more than 2,000 kilometers between Nebraska and New Hampshire on Wednesday and Thursday, making travel treacherous in cities like Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago and Boston .
Meanwhile, unprecedented heat is forecast from Baltimore to New Orleans. Mercury could approach 27℃ Thursday in Washington, surpassing a record set in 1874. Abnormally hot weather is also predicted in Florida.
California was preparing for the arrival of a new winter storm that could dump rain, snow and hail across most of the state. Gusts of 75 kilometers per hour are possible along the central coasts and more than 100 kilometers per hour in the mountains.
More than 100,000 customers were without power across California midday Wednesday, according to PowerOutage.us.
A one-year-old toddler was seriously injured when a tree fell on a house in Boulder Creek, south of San Francisco. Rescuers had to cut up the tree before they could rescue the child, local media reported.
A blizzard warning will be in effect for the mountains of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties between 4 p.m. Thursday and 4 p.m. Friday.
