Winter storm conditions forecast from Montana to Michigan; California gets freeze watch: Weather updates
A winter storm spreading in patches across the country on Wednesday brought rare snow and hail to the typically sunny Southern California as eastern states prepare for harsh weather.
Snow is expected to stretch from the Midwest to Maine later this week and winter storm conditions on Wednesday have already hit swaths of the Plains and Midwest. Heavy snow could continue to fall in Western states with more than 2 feet of flakes possible.
With a winter storm warning in effect until Wednesday night in Southern California, some residents were surprised by bouts of hail, snow, and rain. According to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, there were reports of snow as low as 1,000 feet in elevation.
Disney news outlet, Laughing Place, caught snow pellets falling at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, on video. "Disneyland in the snow! Real snow, not soap!" the outlet said Wednesday afternoon.
Emergency crews in San Bernardino County scrambled Wednesday to shuttle food and medicine to mountain communities stranded by back-to-back winter storms that have dumped so much snow some residents can barely see out their windows.
Here’s what you need to know about Wednesday’s winter weather:
Disneyland guests surprised with 'snow'
To Disneyland guests, what looked like snow was actually graupel or soft, snow pellets falling at the theme park.
The "snow" created a social media buzz with guests posting videos and photos of the brief flurries before the sun came out again. While visitors were already dressed for the chilly weather, many expressed excitement and shock over the rare snow event.
"Yes, technically it's graupel. But this is as close as it will ever get to snowing at Disneyland," Nexstar journalist Scott Gustin tweeted.
California mountain communities stranded by back-to-back storms
East of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County, residents in mountain communities were stranded by heavy snow with some dealing with as much as seven feet of snow.
Around-the-clock plowing is underway but it could take more than a week to reach some areas, said Dawn Rowe, chair of the county’s board of supervisors. Sheriffs’ authorities have conducted 17 rescue operations to help off-roaders and skiers.
In the city of Crestline, California, the entire roof of a grocery market collapsed Wednesday. According to Rowe, no one was injured but officials scrambled to salvage food for residents as stocks run low.
“We know that roofs are starting to collapse,” Rowe said. “There are other businesses that will likely be affected by the weight of the snow.”
Winter storm conditions stretch across Dakotas, Midwest
A winter storm warning is in effect Wednesday in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota. Heavy snow of up to 9 inches is expected, and winds could gust up to 40 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Meanwhile, a winter weather advisory stretched from Montana to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on Wednesday – and into Thursday in some areas.
Snow of up to 6 inches was possible in parts of Minnesota.
The wintry conditions come after a winter storm warning hit parts of the Northeast this week, including Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
Western states could see two feet of snow
A winter storm warning covered parts of Arizona, Nevada Utah and Colorado on Wednesday.
Snow accumulations of one to two feet are possible along mountains in Colorado and Utah, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, Colorado. Higher amounts are possible in some areas, and wind gusts of up to 45 mph are also expected.
Officials warned that, if people must travel, they should keep an extra flashlight, food and water in their vehicle.
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Winter storm tracker
National weather radar
Contributing: The Associated Press