Millions in central US brace for snow, rain and floods

Dec. 12, 2022Updated: Dec. 12, 2022 2:31 p.m.

1of6Sal Wood, Blake Wood and Jacobi Wood, 6, roll the largest snowball at Camel’s Back Park in Boise, Idaho, on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, after 2.5 inches of snow fell overnight according to the National Weather Service. No more snow is in the forecast for the Boise area this week, but temperatures are expected to drop to as low as 6 degrees by Saturday night. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP)Sarah A. Miller/AP

Friends Addie Palmer, 7, left, and Esther Roghaar, 7, right, use tree branches to make arms and even hair on their snowman at Camel's Back Park in Boise, Idaho, on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. The National Weather Service reported 2.5 inches of snow accumulation overnight from their location at the Boise Airport. No more snow is in the forecast for the Boise area this week, but temperatures are expected to drop to as low as 6 degrees by Saturday night. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP) — 2of6Friends Addie Palmer, 7, left, and Esther Roghaar, 7, right, use tree branches to make arms and even hair on their snowman at Camel’s Back Park in Boise, Idaho, on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. The National Weather Service reported 2.5 inches of snow accumulation overnight from their location at the Boise Airport. No more snow is in the forecast for the Boise area this week, but temperatures are expected to drop to as low as 6 degrees by Saturday night. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP)Sarah A. Miller/AP

4of6This image from a Caltrans traffic camera shows snow conditions on California Interstate 5 Sims Road in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, near Castella, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. A stretch of California Highway 89 was closed due to heavy snow between Tahoe City and South Lake Tahoe, Cali., the highway patrol said. Interstate 80 between Reno and Sacramento remained open but chains were required on tires for most vehicles. (Caltrans via AP)AP

5of6This image from a Caltrans traffic camera shows snow conditions on California SR-89 Snowman in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. A stretch of California Highway 89 was closed due to heavy snow between Tahoe City and South Lake Tahoe, Cali., the highway patrol said. Interstate 80 between Reno and Sacramento remained open but chains were required on tires for most vehicles. (Caltrans via AP)AP

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A massive winter storm blew across the center of the U.S. on Monday, threatening millions of people with heavy snow, freezing rain and flooding.

The National Weather Service warned that there would be “numerous, widespread, and impactful weather hazards in the heart of the country this week.” People from Idaho spanning into Wisconsin and as far south as Louisiana were warned to be ready for blizzard-like conditions in the north and flash flooding in the south.

By Tuesday, Texas and northern Louisiana could be pummeled by severe hail, winds and tornadoes. The storm will continue southeast into Florida later in the week, forecasters said.

“It will be a busy week while this system moves across the country,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service at the national center in College Park, Maryland.

Officials in western South Dakota on Monday told residents to brace for 6 inches (15 centimeters) or more of snow: “Get your shovels handy, get your groceries, and check other needed supplies. The roads will be hard to travel.”

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The weather is part of the same system that dumped heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada over the weekend, while downpours at lower elevations already triggered flood watches across large swaths of California into Nevada.

The Heavenly ski resort at Lake Tahoe shut down some operations when the brunt of the storm hit Saturday. The resort posted video of lift chairs swaying violently because of gusts that topped 100 mph (161 kph), along with a tweeted reminder that wind closures are “always for your safety.”

The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab in Soda Springs, California reported Sunday morning that more than 43 inches (110 cm) had fallen in a 48-hour span.

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