The storm will affect most of the US and paralyze the travel

Alex Thompson clears snow from a driveway on February 23, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

By Claire Rush, Drew Callister and Jim Salter | Associated Press

Portland, Ore. — A winter storm sowed more chaos across the U.S. on Thursday, shutting down much of Portland after the city experienced its second snowiest day on record and paralyzed travel from parts of the Pacific coast to the Northern Plains.

Nearly 11 inches of snow fell in Portland on Wednesday evening, snarling rush hour traffic and stranding motorists on freeways. Some slept in their vehicles or abandoned them altogether as they struggled to clear the roads.

The storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes in several states and grounded or delayed thousands of flights.

Others enjoyed the wonderful day where there was no measurable snow.

Joan Jasper got on her skis and was skating through a residential neighborhood in Portland.

“They always have ‘Snowmageddon’ on the news, and so we ignored it – and here we are after 11 inches!” She said. “This is very beautiful.”

For the first time since 1989, the National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for the Southern California mountains. Forecasters called for “several rounds” of snow with accumulations of up to 3 to 5 feet (0.91 to 1.5 m) for the Sierra Nevada region.

Snow was also expected in some low-lying hills and valleys near the Pacific coast, the weather service said, “due to the depth of cold air moving in from the west.”

High levels of moisture in the air have also increased the risk of flooding, forecasters say. Some coastal areas could see waves of 10 to 14 feet (3 to 4 meters) through Thursday, forecasters said.

The winter mix has hit the northern US hard, closing schools and offices and forcing churches to cancel Ash Wednesday services.

In Wyoming, roads in much of the southern part of the state were impassable, state officials said.

Rescuers tried to find the drivers, but high winds and drifting snow made it “nearly impossible,” said Sgt. Jeremy Beck of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

High winds in the Pacific Northwest and heavy snow in the Cascade Mountains prevented search teams from finding the bodies of three hikers killed over the weekend in a flash flood on Washington’s Kolchuck Peak.

Unexpectedly heavy snow sent dozens of cars stranded in Portland Wednesday evening, causing traffic jams that lasted for hours.

Several interstates and other highways in Arizona have been closed due to high winds, temperatures and snow. The state Department of Transportation advised people not to travel. Forecasters forecast 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters) of snow per hour on Thursday.

A blizzard warning was in effect in California until Saturday for the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada, with forecasts calling for several feet of snow, gusts of 60 mph (96 km/h) and wind chills of minus 40 degrees (minus 40 Celsius).

In the state capital of Sacramento, the weather service said it had received reports of what could be snow or hail — soft, wet snow flakes encased in super-freezing water droplets.

Heavy snow and strong storms knocked down power lines and power grids took a beating in the north. In California, lines are damaged by tree branches and other debris.

A Michigan firefighter died Wednesday after coming into contact with a downed power line in the village of Paw Paw, authorities said. Van Buren County Sheriff Dan Abbott called it a “tragic accident through no fault of the firefighter.”

As of Thursday morning, more than 681,000 customers lost power in Michigan; over 84,000 in Illinois; over 58,000 in Wisconsin; 42,000 in California and about 32,000 in New York state, according to the website PowerOutage.us.

The weather contributed to the cancellation of about 1,800 US flights on Wednesday and another 759 on Thursday morning, according to the monitoring service FlightAware. Another 6,000-plus flights were delayed across the country.

At Denver International Airport, Taylor Dotson, her husband, Reggie, and their 4-year-old daughter, Ragen, were returning home to Belvidere, Tennessee, when they faced a two-hour flight delay to Nashville.
Reggie Dotson was in Denver to interview for an airline pilot job.

“I think it’s ridiculous to say we’ve had delays like this,” Taylor Dotson said.

Few places were untouched by wild weather, including some at the opposite extreme. Long-time high records were broken in Nashville, topping 80 degrees (27 degrees Celsius) on Wednesday, breaking a 127-year-old record for the day, according to the weather service.