Storms batter California; tornadoes slam Oklahoma, Kansas; heavy snow possible in Northeast: Live updates
Heavy rain and snow blanketed much of California and parts of the West on Monday while powerful storms driving hail and possible tornadoes slammed Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas as belligerent weather continued to sweep the nation.
A winter storm watch was going into effect Monday afternoon throughout the Northeast. And in Michigan, 131,000 homes and businesses remained in the dark after five days of high winds, snow and ice that wreaked havoc on power lines.
Nine confirmed or suspected tornadoes swept through Kansas and Oklahoma late Sunday and early Monday, the National Weather Service reported. Texas was also blasted by storms that packed heavy winds and hail in some areas – a wind gust of 114 mph was reported in Memphis, Texas, 130 miles northeast of Lubbko. More than a dozen injuries were reported in the region.
Here's what to know about the national weather Monday:
Downed power lines in Norman, home of the University of Oklahoma
Severe damage was reported in Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma, as destructive winds and tornadoes swept through the area on Sunday night.
"Tornado WARNING in effect for OU-NORMAN Campus," the school tweeted late Sunday. "Seek shelter NOW inside the building you are in. Move to lowest floor/interior room" Other tweets warned the school's more than 20,000 students to stay in doors and away from windows.
Gas leaks, downed power lines and uprooted trees were reported in Norman following the storm, Norman Mayor Larry Heikkila told AccuWeather.
California sees more snow, rain; travel 'near to impossible' in Sierra
Nearly all of California was experiencing rain or snow beginning Sunday night into Monday morning. Southern California and other parts of the state got some relief Sunday from the stunning snow, record rain and flooding it got over the weekend. But another storm is expected to last through midweek.
"A continuation of cold and unsettled conditions are expected along the West Coast through midweek this week as waves of energy and moisture dive in from the Pacific," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
Here are some of the latest developments:
A blizzard warning is in effect for the Sierra Nevada beginning 10 a.m. Monday, as the region could see snow accumulations from 2 to 6 feet with wind gusts up to 75 miles per hour. The National Weather Service says travel will be "near to impossible."
Los Angeles County will have "cold and unsettled" weather through midweek, and the region will get up to an inch of rain. The San Fernando Valley got over 10 inches of rain over the weekend, while Downtown Los Angeles had over 4 inches.
Snow levels could drop as low as 1,000 feet above sea level, AccuWeather says.
State officials are continuing to work through multiple highways closures around the Los Angeles area; potential snow could result in more closures.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said the new storm this week "will not contain near as much moisture" as the prior storm.
A BLIZZARD IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:What to know about weird weather.
Winter storm warning in Great Lakes region; outages continue in Michigan
Freezing rain and snow are expected in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
"Bad: Additional freezing rain & ice accumulation expected Monday," the weather service tweeted. "Good: Accumulations should be less and stay north of ice storm impacted areas."
Weather officials say the snow will hamper Monday morning travel as roads could become ice-covered and slippery.
Michigan will continue to see winter weather. Over 130,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the state Monday, according to PowerOutage.US.
Heavy snow makes it way to the Northeast
A winter storm watch goes into effect Monday afternoon throughout the Northeast, and snow is likely from northeast Pennsylvania across the rest of the region.
'Heavy snow" – several inches to a foot of snow – is possible in the following areas:
High terrain of Vermont
High terrain of New Hampshire
Portions of Maine
Upstate New York
There's a high risk of significant travel disruptions in upstate New York and much of the New England area, AccuWeather says.
Temperatures throughout the Northeast will be below freezing; highs will be in the low 30s.
Winter storm tracker
National weather radar
Contributing: The Associate Press. Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winter storm live updates: Tornadoes in Oklahoma; snow in California
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