Winter storm brings rare blizzard in California; hundreds of thousands without power in Michigan: Weather updates

Thursday updates: Read the latest weather news here. 

A brutal winter storm that has stretched 2,600 miles coast to coast battered states from the West to the East Coast on Wednesday, moving into parts of Pennsylvania, New York and New England.

The storm knocked out power to more than 100,000 households in California early Wednesday, shuttered highways and prompted more than 1,000 flight cancellations.

Residents in Western states and the Plains have faced severe winter weather for several days already this week and may see blizzard conditions and significant snowfall.

And as the storm barrels across the country, dangerous conditions are landing farther east as an ice storm slicing across several Midwestern states and snow and sleet reached the Northeast. By Wednesday night, the Midwest saw hundreds of thousands of outages.

Before and after:Photos show recovery at drought-stricken California reservoir

Here’s what you need to know:

Michigan ice storm leaves homes in the dark

More than 579,000 homes and businesses were left in the dark Wednesday night, according to poweroutage.us, as the rare winter storm's heavy ice ripped down tree limbs and power lines across the state. 

National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Gurney warned that the storm would bring rain, ice, sleet and snow — "a little bit of everything."

"It looks pretty dicey. Take it easy on the morning commute," Gurney said.

Blizzard conditions scattered across West, Midwest; Minnesota could break snow records

The storm hit northern states the hardest. Schools, offices and government buildings closed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas.

Snow accumulations were expected to reach up to a foot, and winds could gust up to 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Riverton, Wyoming.

The weather service warned that travel will be impossible in some areas, and frigid wind chills as low as 35 degrees below zero can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.  

FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS:More than 1,000 flights canceled as massive winter storm system blankets northern US

CALIFORNIA BLIZZARD:LA homeless advocates rush to help those on the streets as winter storm nears

Parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota also saw wind gusts up to 50 mph. Wind chills could drop as low as 45 degrees below zero, carrying the risk of causing frostbite in as little as 10 minutes.

Minnesota may see "record-smashing" snow totals approaching 2 feet as blizzard and whiteout conditions make travel nearly impossible and threaten scattered power outages. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared a "peacetime emergency" Tuesday.

The National Weather Service Twin Cities called the winter storm “historic” and said that by the time snowfall ends late Thursday, some areas could see close to 2 feet of snow.

Weather watches and warnings

Health:You can get frostbite in minutes in frigid temperatures. Here are the symptoms and how to stay safe.

What defines a blizzard? Heavy snow and high winds expected to sweep across country.

Snowfall continues in the West   

Major winter weather isn’t done with the West yet this week.

In parts of Nebraska and Wyoming, a winter storm warning remained in effect until early Thursday, with snow of up to 15 inches expected. Wind chills were set to reach as low as 40 degrees below zero.  

And in parts of Colorado, a wind chill advisory was in effect from Wednesday evening into Thursday. Heavy snow was expected alongside wind gusts that could reach up to 45 mph.  

In parts of Utah, snow of up to a foot was expected with wind gusts of 60 mph.

The snow is expected to taper off in the region on Wednesday and head South.

California power outage map:Over 110,000 customers without power as strong winds hit

What is thundersnow and how does it form:Explaining how a thunderstorm can produce snow

What is wind chill? Understanding the wind chill index and how it's calculated

Rare blizzard warnings in California

Southern California was hit Wednesday by rare blizzards and winter weather, and more than 100,000 households lost power, according to poweroutage.us. By Wednesday evening, more than 45,500 customers in the state were still without electricity.

Snow and freezing temperatures were forecast over the next few days. Los Angeles and Ventura County residents living in the mountains were warned to travel only for emergencies. Wind was expected to gust up to 75 mph, and 2 to 7 feet of snow was expected to accumulate by Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the Bay Area saw subfreezing temperatures, and winter storm advisories were in effect for San Bernardino and Riverside counties, as well as parts of San Diego County.

Ice storm warning cuts across Midwest 

An ice storm warning was in effect in several states in the Midwest on Wednesday, with the National Weather Service warning of “significant icing expected,” along with power outages, tree damage and treacherous travel. The states impacted include:  

• Iowa 
• Wisconsin  
• Michigan  

Lansing, Michigan could be in the “bullseye” of significant icy conditions, some forecasters warned, the Lansing State Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

Northern Wisconsin and Michigan may also see snowfall totals over a foot.

CALIFORNIA WEATHER UPDATES:Rare blizzard warning issued near Los Angeles

Winter weather reaches Pennsylvania, New York and New England 

Snow was expected to hit the interior Northeast and New England into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. 

And a winter weather advisory was in effect from 4 p.m. on Wednesday until Thursday afternoon in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New York. Residents could see a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, with snow and sleet expected to reach up to four inches. Ice accumulations could reach to about one tenth of an inch.  

What's the difference? Sleet vs. freezing rain vs. hail

Winter weather shuts down highways: I-80 in Wyoming, I-40 and US-180 in Arizona closed

Several key highways were expected to close across the country amid blizzard conditions, AccuWeather forecast.

Wyoming shut down huge portions of I-80 on Wednesday "due to winter conditions," including drifting snow, strong winds and black ice. The state is expected to see high winds with wind chill as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit and snowfall of up to a foot in some areas.

Parts of multiple Arizona highways, including I-40, State Road 87 and US-180, also shuttered Wednesday amid a "record winter storm."

Arizona power outage map::20,000 homes and businesses without power amid winter storm

Winter storm tracker

National weather radar

Contributing: Orlando Mayorquin, USA TODAY; Frank Witsil and Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press