In addition to producing tornadoes in the southern
US, the intense storm that caused them also delivered severe weather to other
regions of the US and Canada, including significant snowfall.
In Texas, the storm has caused property damage and
wounded numerous persons.
According to FlightAware.com, while the storm raged
across the nation on Monday and Tuesday, around 9,000 US aircraft were delayed.
In several western regions that might receive up to
2 feet (60 cm) of snow, the weather has also caused road closures.
According to analysts, the storm may have an impact
on people living in almost every state in the contiguous US.
According to Rich Otto, a meteorologist at the
Weather Prediction Center, "it's a really intense storm system." This
one is a tad bigger than the typical winter storm, I think.
People who reside in the north should spend
Tuesday's day at home, he continued.
The US region known as the Central and Northern High
Plains, which encompasses eastern Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska,
was forecast to have the worst weather starting on Monday night and lasting
through Wednesday, according to Mr. Otto.
Heavy snowfall and severe gusts of exceeding 40 mph
(64 km/h) are predicted for these states.
On Tuesday, severe weather advisories were in effect
for more than 20 million people in the US.
The National Weather Service had issued blizzard
warnings for each of those states as well as Colorado. Heavy snowfall and winds
of at least 35 mph for such to occur.
Low visibility and "treacherous" traffic
conditions will result from the combination of heavy snowfall and high wind
gusts, Mr. Otto added.
Some areas of the area may have one to two inches of
snow every hour.
The storm has now spread into Canada, where on
Tuesday and Wednesday it pounded the southern Prairie area of that nation,
which includes the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with a deluge of
snow and strong winds.
On Tuesday, a quarter to half inch of freezing rain
is predicted for the upper Midwest. According to the National Weather Service,
severe thunderstorms, hail, and flash floods might occur across the lower
Mississippi Valley.
According to local officials, a series of storms in
the southern state of Texas produced many tornadoes in the state's northern
region, including one in Wise County, close to Dallas, that caused damage to
houses and businesses.
According to local government officials, the extreme
weather in Texas caused at least seven injuries.
Local media reported that a twister struck Wayne,
Oklahoma, early on Tuesday, turning at least one family house to rubble but
sparing the lives of its inhabitants.
Experts predict that the harsh weather will last for
the majority of this week before moving into the central Plains on Thursday.
Last Friday, the storm system started to affect the
US and brought strong gusts to California.
Northern California's Sierra Nevada mountain range
recorded 5 feet of snowfall in some locations over the weekend, closing several
roadways and causing avalanche warnings to be issued for the region through
Monday night.