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Much of the US is covered in snow as twin winter storms barrel across the Midwest and down the West Coast, prompting a rare blizzard warning in southern California.
The area around the famed Hollywood Sign got a dusting of snow on Thursday morning, footage from KTLA-TV shows, as a storm that paralyzed Portland, Oregon with almost a foot of snow bore down on Los Angeles.
Even as snow blankets much of the nation, parts of the Southeast and mid-Atlantic are enjoying a record-breaking February heat wave, with a high temperature of 81F in Washington DC shattering the February 23 record of 78F, set in 1874.
Dubbed Winter Storm Piper by the Weather Channel, the West Coast storm prompted the National Weather Service to issue a blizzard warning for the mountains north and northeast of Los Angeles, the first such warning in the area since 1989.
Meanwhile, the remnants of Winter Storm Olive, also a Weather Channel moniker, were headed for the Northeast and New England after bringing heavy snow to parts of the Rockies, Northern Plains and upper Midwest, with parts of Utah seeing two feet.
The famed Hollywood Sign got a tiny dusting of snow on Thursday morning, according to news reports, as a storm that paralyzed Portland, Oregon with almost a foot of snow bore down on Los Angeles
CALIFORNIA: A barefoot visitor stands on a snow-covered road while taking a selfie in the Angeles National Forest near La Canada Flintridge, California on Thursday
As much as four to eight inches of additional snow is expected across northern New England through Friday, after the storm claimed its first victim in Michigan, where a firefighter died after coming in contact with a downed power line.
The firefighter died Wednesday after coming in contact with the downed line in the village of Paw Paw, authorities said. Van Buren County Sheriff Dan Abbott called it a tragic accident that was ‘no fault of the firefighter.’
Large power outages were reported in California, Oregon, Illinois and Michigan, with more than one million customers without power across the country, according to the website PowerOutage.us.
More than 820,000 customers in Michigan were without electricity, mostly in the state’s southeast corner, where power lines and trees were shrouded in ice.
West Coast: Winter Storm Piper paralyzes Portland, bears down on LA
After bringing Portland to a standstill, the West Coast storm will bring rare snowfall to southern California.
‘Very active winter weather will continue across areas of the West through the end of the week and the start of the weekend,’ the National Weather Service said in a flash bulletin on Thursday.
‘For tonight and Friday, California in particular will be the dominant focus for the greatest winter storm impacts,’ the service added.
In Arizona, several interstates and other highways were closed due to high winds, falling temperatures and blowing snow. The state Department of Transportation advised people not to travel. Forecasters said snow could fall as rapidly as 2 to 3 inches per hour.
Overnight Wednesday, the nearly 11 inches that fell in Portland amounted to the second snowiest day in the city’s history.
It took drivers by surprise, stalling traffic during the Wednesday evening rush hour and trapping motorists on freeways for hours.
Some spent the night in their vehicles or abandoned them altogether as crews struggled to clear roads. Other commuters got off spun-out buses and walked in groups to safety.
Snow storms in the Northeast and West Coast are bringing winter weather from coast to coast
PORTLAND: Snow covers a car in a Portland driveway on Thursday after the area got 11 inches of snow
PORTLAND: The backup of cars and trucks stuck on Interstate 84 is seen from the Blumenauer Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge in Northeast Portland. Nearly a foot of snow fell in Portland on Wednesday
PORTLAND: A person uses skis to get through the snow-covered Grant Park neighborhood of Portland on Thursday
After bringing Portland to a standstill, the West Coast storm will bring rare snowfall to southern California
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for the mountains north and northeast of Los Angeles, the first such warning in the area since 1989
Kim Upham told the Associated Press she endured a 13-hour ordeal as snow brought traffic to a standstill on US 26, a mountainous highway that connects Portland to the coast.
Already treacherous because of its steep grade, the highway was covered in a sheet of ice, forcing some drivers to leave their cars in the middle of the road.
‘It was so scary to have semi-trucks behind you and semi-trucks in front of you, and you know you´re on a slope,’ she said.
As the hours stretched on, some drivers began to worry about surviving until morning. Upham used a blanket to stay warm and spent the night in her car.
To save gas, she turned the vehicle on only intermittently to run the windshield wipers and inch ahead when traffic moved slightly.
‘I really don’t want to die on 26,’ she added. ‘I was thinking that quite often to be honest with you.’
The system even brought snow to usually balmy Southern California. The weather service office in San Diego issued its first-ever blizzard warning, covering the mountains of San Bernardino County from early Friday until Saturday afternoon.
San Bernardino County lies east of Los Angeles County, where the first mountain blizzard warning since 1989 was scheduled to take effect at the same time.
In Wyoming, roads across much of the southern part of the state were impassable, state officials said.
Rescuers tried to reach stranded motorists, but high winds and drifting snow created a ‘near-impossible situation,’ said Sgt. Jeremy Beck of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
High winds and heavy snow in the Cascade Mountains prevented search teams from reaching the bodies of three climbers killed over the weekend in an avalanche on Washington’s Colchuck Peak.
The US Pacific Coast is seen in a satellite image as a winter storm moved down the coast Thursday
CALIFORNIA: After rare snow in Southern California, vehicles drive in the snow near the 2,200-foot summit of San Marcos Pass along Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County on Thursday
YOSEMITE: A snowman is seen as snow blanked Yosemite National Park in California, on Wednesday. A winter storm warning was issued in Yosemite Valley until Saturday
CALIFORNIA: Victor Martinez clears fresh snow off a walkway at Kimbark Elementary School in Devore, California
Northeast: Winter Storm Olive heads for New England after wreaking havoc in West and Midwest
Forecasters say the prolonged winter storm that walloped the West through the the Great Lakes with heavy snow, strong winds and ice over the last few days is gradually winding down on Thursday.
‘However, the tail end of this storm will be crossing the Northeast overnight bringing with it one more round of snow and some freezing rain,’ the NWS said.
Northern parts of New England could see four to eight inches of snow, with gusty winds potentially creating larger drifts.
The frigid temperatures currently over the upper Midwest are expected to move east across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast by the start of the weekend.
In suburban Milwaukee shopping mall parking garage collapsed Thursday, apparently due to the weight of a pile of plowed snow. Two cars were damaged, but no injuries were reported, authorities said.
Photos showed a section of the top two floors of the three-story garage at Bayshore Mall in Glendale laying on the first floor. A mound of snow covered the rubble.
North Shore Fire/Rescue Chief Robert Whitaker told reporters during a question-and-answer session at the scene that he was ‘fairly confident’ no one was hurt after authorities spoke with the owners of the two damaged cars.
The chief said firefighters would continue to search the snow mound to be sure no one is trapped.
MILWAUKEE: Firefighters work to dig through snow after a partial garage collapse at Bayshore mall in Glendale, Wisconsin on Thursday. A section of a suburban Milwaukee shopping mall parking garage collapsed Thursday
MILWAUKEE: One car impacted by the partial collapse of the Bayshore Mall parking structure is seen. Two cars were damaged, but no injuries were reported, authorities said
MINNEAPOLIS: Nurse JoAnn Lee clears snow from her car in order to go to work during a snowstorm on the city’s south side
UTAH: A person removes snow from their driveway in Draper, Utah, on Thursday. Powerful winter storms lashed the United States, with heavy snow snarling travel across wide areas, even as unusual warmth was expected in others
MINNEAPOLIS: A city plow drives through city streets as a sprawling winter storm sweeps across the northern United States
The Milwaukee area has received about 23. 7 inches of snow since December, including 1.5 inches of wet sleet on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
“I don’t know why (the garage collapsed), but it appears snow would have some likely impact,” the chief said. “Piling snow on a property, especially if its elevated, probably not a good idea.”
‘No loss of life, (but) unfortunately it’s just a big old mess,’ Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy told The Associated Press.
A few areas of Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas officially reached blizzard conditions Wednesday night, the Weather Channel reports.
Portions of southern Michigan and southern Wisconsin have now reported receiving more than half an inch of ice, while Brighton, Utah picked up over two feet of snow from the brutal storm.
Yellowstone Park in Wyoming also recorded 34inches of slush.
Hundreds of schools in Minneapolis remained closed on Thursday, and in Grand Rapids, schools were canceled for a second day.
About 90 churches in western Michigan were also forced to cancel Ash Wednesday services due to the extreme conditions.
Weather also contributed to another day of problems at the nation’s airports. More than 2,000 flights were canceled by Thursday afternoon, according to the tracking service FlightAware, and nearly 14,000 were delayed across the country.
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