Winter storm warnings continued to stretch from California to the East Coast on Thursday, with blizzard conditions and other treacherous winter weather slamming swaths of the country.
Some regions in the West and Midwest that have faced brutal, frigid conditions this week could see winter storm, wind chill and other advisories lift on Thursday after days of dangerous weather. For example, in parts of Nebraska, a winter storm warning and a wind chill warning is in effect until noon on Thursday. And in parts of Michigan, a winter storm warning remained in effect until 1 p.m.
Snow and ice are expected to hit parts of New York and New England on Thursday, bringing a foot of accumulation in some areas. And yes, wintery weather and rainfall is even in the forecast for southern California.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is thundersnow and how does it form:Explaining how a thunderstorm can produce snow
What is lake effect snow?:Here’s how it happens and how much snow it can bring with it.
Blizzard conditions remain in Plains, Midwest
A blizzard warning remained in effect until 12 p.m. Thursday in Minnesota and the Plains, with additional snow accumulations of up to 14 inches possible. Winds will gust up to 45 mph, making travel “impossible,” the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, warned.
The weather service cautioned that the frigid wind chills as low as 30 degrees below zero can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
The conditions in the Plains and Midwest come as a blizzard warning was issued in the Los Angeles area this week. Los Angeles and Ventura County residents living in the mountains above Los Angeles were warned to only travel for emergencies on Wednesday, with the area expecting wind gusts of up to 75 mph.
What defines a blizzard?:Heavy snow and high winds expected to sweep across country.
Winter storm brings a foot of snow to parts of New York, New England
Parts of New York and New England could see up to 12 inches of snow overnight Wednesday and into Thursday as the major winter storm that crossed the country this week moves east.
A winter storm warning is in effect in parts of New York and Vermont until 1 p.m. on Thursday, with total snow accumulations of up to 12 inches in the forecast. The snowflakes are “tapering off to a light wintry mix on Thursday,” according to the National Weather Service in Burlington, Vermont.
A warning is also in effect until 7 p.m. on Thursday in parts of Maine and New Hampshire. The storm could bring up to 9 inches of snow, as well as sleet accumulations of up to one tenth of an inch.
In parts of the northeast, snow and ice will create dangerous travel conditions into Friday, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
Winter storm warning in California. Yes, really.
Winter storm warnings are in effect Thursday and into Friday along swaths of California, from the Ventura County Mountains and the Los Angeles County Mountains to northern parts of the state near Oregon.
- Accumulating snow could fall in elevations as low as 2,000 feet on average from Thursday to Saturday, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
- In areas above 4,000 feet in elevation, one to two feet of snow is possible.