A brutal US winter storm has closed highways, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people and prompted the first blizzard warning in Southern California in decades.
The extreme weather forced the closure of a 200-mile stretch of Interstate 40 from central Arizona to New Mexico as snow and gusts of up to 80 mph hit the region.
For the first time since 1989, a blizzard warning was issued for the mountains of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, effective from 4am on Thursday to 4pm on Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
Some coastal areas could see 10-foot waves - and a few at up to 14 feet - on Thursday, forecasters said.
“We are in for a VERY busy week!” the National Weather Service bureau in San Diego tweeted. “We have issued warnings for damaging winds, heavy mountain snow, highly hazardous boating conditions and the list goes on.”
“Nearly the entire population of CA will be able to see snow from some vantage point later this week if they look in the right direction (i.e., toward the highest hills in vicinity),” climate scientist Daniel Swain tweeted.
#WildWeather across the #USA! There is almost every type of weather going on across the country right now from severe storms, an #IceStorm, to a #Blizzard. For the very latest weather info, go to https://t.co/KoTZosY9FD!#OHwx #PAwx #NWS #Cleveland #Ohio #weather pic.twitter.com/8QQ3LR1VGQ
— NWS Cleveland (@NWSCLE) February 22, 2023
The winter storm has been bringing chaos to states across the country.
At one point on Wednesday, more than 65 million people in more than two dozen states were under weather alerts.
The storm has also contributed to more than 1,600 US flight cancellations.
Few places were untouched by the wild weather, including some at the opposite extreme: long-standing record highs were broken in cities in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
Nashville topped out on Wednesday at 26.C, breaking a 127-year-old record for the date, according to the weather service.
Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Lexington, Kentucky and Mobile, Alabama were among many other record-setters.
But for many parts of the US hit by the winter storm, the worst is yet to come. More than 18 inches was forecast to pile up in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin with temperatures tipped to plunge to -32C in North Dakota on Friday.
