The snowstorm that arrived on Tuesday at the Central Atlantic coast caused accidents on icy roads and caused the closure of schools. All Washington's public schools were closed due to bad weather.
The snow, the Aguanieve and the icy rain were expected to continue whipping on Wednesday the center of the Apalaches and the states of the central Atlantic region, while California prepared for a storm that could flood areas devastated by the recent forest fires.
A especially intense snowfall was forecast – up to almost 25 centimeters (14 inches) – in parts of Virginia and Virginia Occidental, according to the National Meteorological Service. Ice accumulations could reach more than 8.4 millimeters (one third of inch) in Stanleytown, Virginia, and 6.3 millimeters (a quarter of an inch) in Glendale Springs, North Carolina.
In California, an atmospheric river was expected – a long water vapor band that can transport moisture from the tropics to north areas – would reach the end of Wednesday, and could cause floods in urban areas in the center and south of California, according to the weather service.
The snowstorm that reached the states of the Central Atlantic coast on Tuesday caused accidents on ice roads and caused the closure of schools. For Tuesday night, almost 12,000 people in Virginia were without electricity, according to Poweroutage.us.
“Stay at home and outside the roads tonight, Virginia,” published the Department of Transportation of Virginia on social networks Tuesday night, next to a Dorothy meme of “The Wizard of Oz” saying: “There is no place Like the home “.
In parts of Baltimore and Washington, 2.5 cm fell (an inch) of snow every hour, according to the weather service. All Washington public schools were closed on Wednesday due to bad weather.
Appalachian Power, who serves one million customers in Virginia Occidental, Virginia and Tennessee, said Tuesday that he had 5,400 workers dedicated to restoring electricity.
Around 65 soldiers of the Virginia National Guard were in facilities along the runners of the 95 interstate and state route 29 and in the southwest of Virginia to support the response to the storm, guard officials said. Another 20 soldiers and members of the Virginia Defense Force were in support roles.
The winter storm alerts extended from northwest of North Carolina to the south of New Jersey, and the snow and ice mixture was expected to become rain for Wednesday afternoon as temperatures increased.
Meanwhile, another different storm system was expected to download a strong snowfall in an area that extends from Kansas to the great lakes from Tuesday night, said the weather service. The Kansas legislature canceled Wednesday's meetings due to the weather, and the governor, Laura Kelly, closed the state offices in the capital, Topeka.
Emergency in Virginia
In Virginia, where the governor, Glenn Youngkin, declared the state of emergency and government schools and offices were closed on Tuesday, the State Police reported 700 accidents and dozens of injuries on Tuesday.
Although Matt Demlein, a spokesman for the Virginia State Police, said they cannot definitively affirm that everyone was related to the weather.
In southern Occidental Virginia, multiple accidents temporarily closed several main roads on Tuesday. Smith's Towing and Truck Repair responded to at least 15 calls, mainly truck drivers who were trapped in the interest 64 in Greenbrier County near the border with Virginia, said dispatcher Kelly Pickles.
“Basically, they are simply dragged towards the median or leave the interstatal a little on the right side,” he said. “And they simply do not have enough power in their vehicles to return to the road due to the icy conditions.”
Paige Williams, owner of Downtown Books in Lexington, Virginia, closed his store on Tuesday due to the weather. I hoped to reopen on Wednesday, noting that Lexington and the Rockbridge county are reliable for clearing the roads.
But with temperatures that were riding the freezing point on Tuesday night and Wednesday, the planned rain could improve or worsen roads.
“Everything will depend on where those temperatures go,” said Williams. “The rain can clear things. And the rain can also freeze. And then you will have many skating clues instead of roads.”
Gelid temperatures
An Arctic air mass extended from Portland, Oregon, to the great lakes.
The temperature reached a minimum on Tuesday morning of -35 degrees Celsius (-31 degrees Fahrenheit) in Butte, Montana, where at the last two winters at least five people died from exposure to the cold, said Brayton Erickson, executive director of the Butte rescue mission.
The defenders of homeless people in the city of approximately 35,000 inhabitants were on the streets distributing sleeping bags, jackets, mittens and other equipment for cold climate to those who needed them, according to Erickson.
“When it is so cold, we do everything possible,” Erickson said.
In Multnomah County in Oregon, officials extended an emergency state until at least Thursday. Five emergency shelters would open from Tuesday night until Wednesday afternoon. Thermal sensation readings in the middle of the week could go down to -12 ºC (10 ºF) in Portland, said the weather service.
Rains in California
The Atmospheric River was expected to arrive in California from Wednesday night and reach its maximum point on Thursday, according to Miles Bliss, a meteorologist at the National Meteorology Service. Together with the floods, a strong snowfall was expected in Sierra Nevada.
More than 700,000 sandbags have been placed in the center and south of California, according to the California Water Resources Department.