A fierce winter storm could hammer millions with heavy snow and spawn tornadoes in the South after leaving California with deadly flooding - CNN

CNN  — 

A potent wintertime tempest is expected to dump dense snow, sleet and freezing rainfall successful the Central US portion threatening almighty tornadoes successful the South.

More than 15 cardinal radical are nether wintertime upwind alerts Monday from Utah to Wisconsin. The aforesaid tempest strategy caused record-setting rainfall and deadly flooding successful drought-stricken California implicit the weekend.

Rapid snowfall of 1 to 2 inches per hr is forecast from the Nebraska panhandle done southwest Minnesota, leaving a full of much than 12 inches of snowfall by precocious Tuesday. The onslaught of snowfall could beryllium accompanied by thunder.

“These aggravated rates combined with gusty winds volition nutrient areas of blowing and drifting snow, resulting successful snow-covered roads, reduced visibility and hard travel,” the Weather Prediction Center said.

Significant crystal accumulation could pb to powerfulness outages and treacherous question conditions.

Freezing rainfall could origin much than a quarter-inch of crystal to stack up from northeastern Nebraska to northwestern Iowa to confederate Minnesota precocious Monday into Tuesday.

“Travel volition go hazardous, if not impossible, aboriginal this evening (into) Tuesday successful galore areas,” the National Weather Service successful Sioux Falls said Monday.

More than 30 cardinal radical from Missouri down to the Gulf Coast are astatine hazard for terrible upwind Monday, CNN Meteorologist Dave Hennen said.

“A fewer tornadoes, immoderate of which could beryllium strong, volition beryllium the main interest during the afternoon,” the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said Monday.

Severe storms determination eastward Tuesday erstwhile parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama could spot tornadoes and damaging winds.

Northern California communities submerged successful mammoth flooding implicit the play could get deluged by adjacent much rainfall aboriginal this week.

It’s not wide however overmuch this tempest volition marque a dent successful drought conditions that person gripped California, which started 2022 with the driest opening of the twelvemonth connected record and ended with flooded roads and swelling rivers.

“Early precipitation forecasts for the midweek tempest looks to beryllium astir 2 to 3 inches imaginable successful the Central Valley with 3 to 6 inches oregon much of liquid precipitation successful the foothills and mountains,” the upwind work bureau successful Sacramento said. 

An atmospheric river, a long, constrictive portion successful the ambiance which tin transportation moisture thousands of miles, fueled a parade of storms implicit the weekend, which led to record-setting rainfall and h2o rescues.

At slightest 2 radical died, including 1 recovered wrong a submerged conveyance successful Sacramento County and a 72-year-old antheral struck by a falling histrion astatine a Santa Cruz park, officials said.

Now, different atmospheric stream could bring dense rainfall and much flooding Wednesday to Northern and cardinal California, including the Bay Area.

This adjacent tempest “looks similar it volition origin unsafe situations,” the National Weather Service successful San Francisco said.

Officials urged residents to debar driving successful lasting water.

Flooding from the Cosumnes River forced the closure of Highway 99 southbound of Elk Grove successful Sacramento County, the California Department of Transportation tweeted Sunday. “SR 99 is 1 of the state’s heavy traveled, and commercially important, corridors,” its website said.

Over the past fewer days, “dozens upon dozens” of radical had been rescued, Cosumnes Fire Department Capt. Chris Schamber told CNN affiliate KCRA. Aerial footage from the presumption showed cars submerged successful floodwater up to their doorway handles.