Winter storm warnings and warnings affected much of the country on Sunday as three different systems put millions at risk.
The first major storm began Saturday and brought heavy snow and strong winds to the northeastern states and central Appalachians, according to the National Weather Service. The second system is expected to severely impact the Midwest, while the third will arrive over the Pacific Northwest on Sunday evening.
Major winter storms are expected to produce severe weather conditions during the middle of the week.
With much of the country bracing for more snow, a tornado appeared to hit Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday evening, knocking down structures and power lines, according to videos posted on social media.
Here's how the weather will affect the country over the next week.
The hurricane struck South Florida
A tornado struck downtown Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, shortly after it struck The National Weather Service issued a warning for the area.
The tornado formed over land and struck land around 6 p.m. west of Las Olas Boulevard and the Intracoastal Waterway. According to the city’s account on X, formerly Twitter. Fire crews continued to assess damage Sunday as Florida Power & Light began restoring power to some affected areas.
No injuries have been reported so far, but city officials warned the public to be careful of debris and fallen power lines.
Videos spread on social networking sites Flashes of light appear as the tornado sweeps down some power lines in the downtown area.
More snow and a wintry mix in the Northeast
Winter storm warnings and watches were in effect throughout the Northeast, and icy roads were created for dangerous travel as far south as North Carolina.
About 60 million residents in the Northeast were affected by the snow, according to Accuweather. “In parts of New England, upstate New York and in parts of Pennsylvania, snow will fall at a rate of an inch per hour or more, and it may be difficult for road crews to keep up.” said Jonathan Porter, Accuweather's chief meteorologist.
Early Saturday, ice arrived in some areas of western North Carolina and southern Virginia, ranging in thickness from a thin layer to about a quarter-inch. North Carolina's Watauga County saw some of the highest amounts, said meteorologist Dennis Slater of the National Weather Service's Blacksburg office in Virginia.
In Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service said a foot of snow was reported in parts of Monroe County, and more than 11 inches fell in Jim Thorpe. Sussex County in New Jersey had 11 inches.
While warnings were canceled and lower highway speed limits and other restrictions were lifted Sunday, meteorologists were still warning motorists of intermittent freezing rain and black ice leading to dangerous driving in parts of southeastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey.
The storm brought mostly rain to New York City, but counties to the north and west saw double-digit snowfall totals by Sunday morning. The city of Millbrook in Dutchess County, about 75 miles north of New York, recorded a foot of snow. Port Jervis in Orange County measured 13 inches.
In Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, the National Weather Service declared a winter storm warning from 4 p.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. Monday.
Some communities in Massachusetts had already recorded nearly a foot of snow by Sunday morning, according to the weather service. More than 16,000 electricity consumers in the state were cut off from electricity.
Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled at Logan International Airport on Sunday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
Snow totals were lower for coastal communities. Boston reported only a few inches. Snow is expected to continue falling throughout the day, and some areas could reach more than a foot.
The storm reached Maine, and some locations saw snow totals of up to 12 inches — with locally higher amounts over southern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine. Wind gusts up to 35 mph can cause snow to blow and drift. Moderate to heavy snow is expected to continue in Vermont, and total accumulations could reach 6 to 12 inches.
The National Weather Service said the “major winter storm” will continue through Sunday evening. Snow is expected in parts of New England, and rain and freezing rain are possible in the Central Appalachians.
Snow and strong winds expected in the Pacific Northwest
Back-to-back strong storms will cross the Pacific Northwest Monday night and Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy snow and strong winds are expected.
For the Cascade area, snow levels will rise to about 5,000 feet Monday night with an atmospheric river, the weather service said. But it will “rapidly drop” to between 1,500 and 2,500 feet behind a cold front on Tuesday, which will bring major impacts to many mountain passes with the second storm.
High surf and strong onshore winds are also expected early this week on the Washington and Oregon coasts.
The Sierra Nevada could see 20 inches of snow
In the west, a winter storm warning remained in effect until late Saturday in the Sierra Nevada from south of Yosemite National Park to north of Reno, where the weather service said up to 20 inches of snow could fall on the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe. With winds gusting up to 100 miles per hour over the hilltops.
The California Highway Patrol said several outages and crashes led to the temporary closure of I-80 for several hours from west of Truckee, California, to the state line west of Reno, Nevada, where more than 27,000 homes were briefly without power due to high winds in the middle of The day. .
More than 13,000 California electric customers were still without power as of Sunday morning.
The system continued to bring heavy mountain snow and coastal rain overnight before moving into central and southern California, then into the southwest and southern Rocky Mountains, the weather service said.
Western states face cold temperatures and strong winds
The storm system moving through Arizona is expected to be stronger to the north, creating snow-packed roads and low visibility conditions.
Several highways in northern parts of the state — including Interstate 40 near Williams and State Route 64 near Grand Canyon National Park — were closed Sunday afternoon due to weather-related crashes and slides caused by falling snow, transportation officials said.
Flagstaff is expected to get 4 to 8 inches of snow by Sunday night, the weather service said. Areas between 3,000 and 5,000 feet can see anything from a light dusting to 3 inches of snow.
In Nevada, the weather service said the wind chill dropped to 32 degrees at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Wind speeds reached 37 mph.
Blizzard conditions in the Midwest
The storm system will likely reorganize over the southern Plains on Monday, bringing heavy snow and strong winds to the Midwest on Monday and Tuesday. The highest snow totals will likely exceed 12 inches in some Midwestern states, according to the National Weather Service.
Meteorologists warn of the possibility of a snowstorm in the southern high plains and central plains. Wind speeds can exceed 50 mph, causing visibility to drop to almost zero and dangerous travel conditions.
Winter storm watches are in effect for parts of the southern high plains, central plains and central Mississippi Valley.
Flooding in the Gulf Coast
Forecasters also warned of another storm Tuesday into Wednesday that is expected to bring up to 6 inches of rain and some flooding as well as high winds and coastal flooding.
Strong onshore winds will cause widespread coastal flooding along the Eastern Gulf Coast and most of the East Coast, and major flooding is expected in the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic.
A cold northern front will collide with a warmer southern front, bringing the risk of severe thunderstorms Monday across parts of southeast Texas, southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and western Florida, AccuWeather and forecasters warned.
Winds and tornadoes are also possible across those areas late Monday night, and wind speeds could exceed 50 mph on the East Gulf Coast, which could lead to power outages.
“A powerful patch of energy will bring damaging thunderstorms that could produce damaging winds, hail and tornadoes to the Gulf Coast states,” said AccuWeather meteorologist. Alexander Dufus. “The flow of moisture along the Gulf of Mexico from eastern Texas and southern Louisiana will aid in the development of thunderstorms throughout the region.”
Contributing: Dylan Wickman, The Arizona Republic; News agency
Contact Adriana Rodriguez at adrodriguez@usatoday.com
