Blizzard, Winter Weather Warning for 22 States as Brutal Storm Hits US

Blizzard and winter storm warnings are in place for parts of 22 states as meteorologists predict snowy conditions to continue in the West while a major weather front will "hammer" the East Coast.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued blizzard warnings for Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wyoming, cautioning about difficult travel conditions and whiteout conditions in places.

At the same time, it also issued winter storm warnings for areas in California, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin.

The alerts come after the meteorological agency predicted the U.S. would be hit by several storms this week, including one across the central Midwest, several over the northwest and a further one expected to bring heavy rains and the potential for flooding along the East Coast on Tuesday.

The NWS said an initial snowstorm that developed over the central and southern Plains on Monday would move into the Midwest into Tuesday, bringing up to two inches an hour of snow accumulation and winds of up to 70 miles an hour from New Mexico to Nebraska.

Blizzard conditions are expected to persist in southwestern Kansas as the front moves through the Midwest and toward the Great Lakes, with winds of up to 50 miles an hour through Tuesday night. Blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility while high winds could cause damage to trees.

Winds of 60 miles an hour are anticipated across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, where an additional inch of snow could also fall. Visibility is set to be reduced to a quarter of a mile, while whiteout conditions will make travel "treacherous and potentially life-threatening."

Weather conditions will be less harsh as the front moves northeast through Kansas and Nebraska, northern Missouri and Iowa, before Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. Up to a foot of snow is expected in the region—though local amounts may be less—while winds are expected to persist.

On Monday night, a powerful atmospheric river storm made landfall from the Pacific in the northwest, bathing Washington and Oregon in several feet of snow, with another expected to arrive in the region on Tuesday.

In its latest forecast, the NWS said the storms would bring snow across the northern Rockies, though in lower amounts.

"By Wednesday night, a second disturbance moves inland across the Desert Southwest and this brings valley rain and mountain snow across Arizona and New Mexico," it added.

"Dangerous" blizzard conditions are predicted for the Cascades mountain range in Washington and Oregon, where up to four feet of snow is set to accumulate and 75-mile-an-hour winds are expected at ski resort elevations.

Snow accumulations of up to five inches are possible in southwestern Idaho along with 60-mile-an-hour winds. Much of the rest of the state is under winter storm warnings.

Blizzard conditions are also anticipated in Wyoming's Snowy Range foothills, with three inches of snow and wind gusts up to 75 miles an hour. Western regions of the state also face winter storm warnings.

Snowy conditions are expected to continue in mountain regions of northern California, where up to 10 inches of snow above 2,500 feet is anticipated. There is a similar picture for the Ruby and Humboldt ranges in Nevada, with 16 inches of snow, while two feet of snow could fall above 7,000 feet near Lake Tahoe.

Up to two feet of snow is possible in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. Snow accumulations of several feet are also expected in northwestern Montana.

Meanwhile, the East Coast is predicted to see widespread hazards from a weather front bringing heavy rain and the potential for flooding from the Florida panhandle to southern Maine on Tuesday.

The NWS said that from northern Virginia into southern New England, up to three inches of rain "over highly saturated, and in some cases snow covered ground, along with swollen creeks and streams, will elevate the potential for flooding across this region."

At the same time, 30-50 mile-an-hour winds are expected along the East Coast which are anticipated to cause instances of coastal flooding. Thunderstorms are set to occur over northern Florida and the Carolinas, while "power outages are a real possibility."

A winter storm warning is in place for far west Maryland, with heavy mixed precipitation bringing snow totals of up to eight inches and ice through Tuesday morning.

Parts of New Hampshire and most of Maine are also under alerts, where snow and sleet are expected to reach as high as 17 inches. A light glaze of ice is also possible in Maine.