US hit by wintry storm and record-high temperatures at the same time

Kai Benedict commutes to his job at the VA Hospital by skis following a snow storm that blanketed the Salt Lake Valley with snow. Credit: AP

A brutal winter storm in the US has trapped drivers on roads and cut power to thousands of homes - all while residents in the south-east swelter in record-breaking heat.

For the first time since 1989, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning, running through until Saturday, for the southern California mountains, while some coastal areas could see 10-foot waves up until 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.”

The storm, one in a series that was expected to pummel the country through the week, sowed chaos from coast to coast.

At one point on Wednesday, more than 65 million people in more than two dozen states were under weather alerts.

The wintry mix hit hard in the northern US, closing schools, offices and even the Minnesota parliament. About 90 churches in western Michigan canceled Ash Wednesday services, WZZM-TV reported.

In Wyoming, the state Transportation Department posted on social media that roads across much of the southern part of the state were impassable.

Rescuers tried to reach people stranded in vehicles but high winds and drifting snow created a “near-impossible situation” for them, said Sergeant Jeremy Beck of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

“They know their locations, it’s just hard for them to get them,” he said.

In the Pacific Northwest, high winds and heavy snow in the Cascade Mountains prevented search teams from reaching the bodies of three climbers killed in an avalanche on Washington’s Colchuck Peak over the weekend.

The National Weather Service warned of the potential for blinding, wind-whipped snow, especially on Thursday afternoon into the night when up to a half-inch per hour could fall.

Skiers and snowboarders line up for a ski bus as the Salt Lake Valley, Utah, gets covered in snow. Credit: AP

A (usually) sunny Los Angeles might see snow

"I have to be totally honest with you guys," Evelyn Taft, weather presenter at Los Angeles broadcaster KCAL told viewers during a report.

"I've actually never seen a blizzard warning."

For the first time since 1989, a blizzard warning was issued for the mountains of Los Angeles. The city itself, known for being perrenially warm, might see snow this week.

In California, a blizzard warning was in effect through Saturday for higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, where forecasters said conditions could include several feet of snow blown by 60mph gusts and wind chill could drop the temperature to -40 Celsius.

Electrical grids took a beating as ice encrusted utility lines in the North and gusty winds knocked down lines or fouled them with tree branches and other debris in California.

More than 579,000 customers were without power in Michigan, well over 117,000 in Illinois and some 45,000 in California Wednesday night, according to the website PowerOutage.us.

Weather also contributed to nearly 1,800 US flight cancellations, according to the tracking service FlightAware. Another 6,000-plus flights were delayed across the country.

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San Diego residents shovel snow Credit: AP

Record high temperatures in other locations

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 Wednesday at 27 degrees Celsius, 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.

No warmup was forecast this week, though, in the northern US more than 18 inches may pile up in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said on Wednesday evening. According to the weather service, the biggest snow event on record in the Twin Cities was 28.4 inches from October 31 through November 3, 1991.

The storm will make its way toward the East Coast later this week. Places that don’t get snow may get dangerous amounts of ice, forecasters warned.

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