Winter storm forecast: Flights delayed as rain, snow sweep across West - USA TODAY

A brutal wintertime tempest was marching toward the nation's interior Monday aft smashing parts of Southern California with much than 7 inches of rainfall and blasting the Golden State's mountains with up to 5 feet of snow.

Almost 15 cardinal radical successful much than a twelve states faced foul upwind warnings oregon watches Monday. Blizzard oregon wintertime tempest warnings were successful effect for parts of Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. 

"Heavy precipitation and beardown winds proceed crossed the occidental region" arsenic the tempest continues to way inland, the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center warned.

More than 6,000 U.S. flights were delayed Sunday, and implicit 1,100 much had been delayed oregon canceled by 9:30 a.m. Monday.

AccuWeather forecasters accidental implicit a ft of snow, beardown winds and blizzard conditions are expected successful the bluish Plains to commencement this week earlier perchance dumping important amounts of snowfall successful portions of the Midwest.

States that won't spot snowfall won't beryllium successful the wide as violent thunderstorms could bring hail, upwind gusts of up to 80 mph and adjacent tornadoes, Accuweather warned. Across parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and bluish Texas a "significant risk" to lives and spot is expected to unfold precocious Monday and Tuesday, AccuWeather said.

The unsafe strategy could past people cities from Springfield, Missouri, and Little Rock, Arkansas, southbound to Houston and New Orleans.

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California slammed by dense rain, snow

More than 5 feet of snowfall was expected successful parts of the Sierra Nevada, according to the upwind service's prediction center. The Greater Lake Tahoe saw a highest of 48 inches of snowfall implicit the weekend, the upwind work said.

In San Luis Obispo County, roads were flooded and beardown winds with gusts up to 80 mph brought down powerfulness lines, the upwind work said. Nearly 30,000 customers successful the region were without powerfulness Saturday night, according to PG&E.

Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties were swamped with much than 7 inches of rain, the upwind work said.

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Midwest braces for blizzard conditions

The aforesaid tempest strategy is predicted to make into a wintertime tempest from the Plains to the Midwest by Wednesday, according to AccuWeather. At the commencement of the week, the bluish Plains is expected to look implicit a ft of snow, beardown winds and blizzard conditions, AccuWeather said. As the tempest rolls into the east, the Midwest volition apt spot a important magnitude of snow.

"Blizzard conditions imaginable (for) portions of northeast Colorado precocious Monday nighttime - Tuesday night," the upwind service's Boulder bureau tweeted. "Significant question impacts, whiteouts, roadworthy closures & harsh livestock conditions volition beryllium possible."

Thunderstorms crossed Southern Plains could bring tornadoes, hail

Severe thunderstorms volition onslaught the South midweek, according to AccuWeather.

The predicted thunderstorms could besides nutrient isolated tornadoes, hail and damaging upwind gusts of up to 80 mph, AccuWeather said. As the thunderstorms statesman to unfold successful parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and bluish Texas implicit the week, forecasters warned of important hazard to lives and property. Some of the aforesaid cities and towns astatine hazard for the terrible thunderstorms were precocious deed by a deadly tornado outbreak at the extremity of November.

"The drastic opposition of the warm, humid aerial up of the tempest and the cold, adust aerial pursuing the tempest volition make the close atmospheric conditions for an eruption of terrible weather," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff.

Contributing: The Associated Press