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The weather is certainly frightful as the National Weather Service warned it will be ‘wet, wintry, windy, and a White Christmas’ for the West as the South hits record-breaking high temperatures.
Washington, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona are getting a picture-perfect white Christmas as heavy snow blankets the states, causing dangerous road conditions and closures.
The Cascades could experience up to two to three feet of snow, with Portland, Oregon expected to get six inches.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency through January 3 as ‘winter storms increases risk for travel.’
‘Winter storms mean increased risk for those traveling, as well as those staying home. Please make a plan with your family now and be prepared,’ she posted on Twitter on Thursday.
Arizona (pictured), Nevada, and Washington are enjoying a white Christmas as heavy snow blankets the states
The Sierra Nevada mountains could experience up to 10 feet of snow, while the city itself could get five to eight feet (pictured: Sierra, Nevada)
Oregon (pictured) has been blanketed with snow, with heavy drifts seen along this road
Crews have been working diligently to clear roadways in an unknown state. Oregon have already a declared state of emergency and Nevada has started issuing evacuations
Shelters have been open to help homeless people escape the harsh conditions in the state, as well.
Sierra, Nevada, has issued an evacuation warning for 150 homes near the Twain Harte Lake Dam after cracks were found in the concrete structure.
The mountains could also reach up to 10 feet of snow, which is equivalent to two floors of a building, while the city could see five to eight feet of snow.
‘Travel across the Sierra will be difficult to impossible at times through the holiday weekend,’ weather services in Reno, Nevada, said.
Southern California is experiencing treacherous flash flooding that has already killed two people who got stuck in a submerged car under an underpass (pictured) near San Francisco. Rescue crews were unable to help the pair as conditions were unsafe
Several counties has issued voluntary evacuations in Orange County, Yucaipa, and Lytle Creek, all burn areas from the wildfires earlier this year (pictured: underpass near San Francisco)
Evacuations have been ordered due to mudslides and debris flows, as well as flooding (pictured: underpass near San Francisco)
Powerlines are also down, leaving many people in California without power this holiday season (pictured: Southern California)
‘Travel will be be hazardous, even impassable at times, in the hardest hit locations with towering snow drifts and whiteout conditions,’ NOAA said on Friday.
Those in lower elevations can expect rainfall.
Northern California is experiencing rare snowfall, leaving Interstate 80 eastbound toward Donner Summit shut down for hours on Friday as cars traversed the snowy roads, causing spinouts.
The California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, announced I-80 was reopened around 8pm on Friday, but required all vehicles to have chains on their tires to travel, unless the car was four-wheel drive with snow tires.
Meanwhile, Southern California is experiencing deadly flash flooding that has already claimed two lives.
Two people died in a submerged car under an underpass near San Francisco on Thursday after rescue teams couldn’t reach them because the flooding was hazardous, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Detective Javier Acosta said.
The National Weather Service reported: ‘In Christmas-speak, it means Snow Miser has control of the West while Heat Miser has full control of the weather in Southtown with no compromise of snow in Southtown this Christmas,’ as the south hits record-breaking heatwaves this holiday
Rescue teams were able to assist the car in front of them, where the passengers were able to stand on their roof as they wanted to be pulled from the treacherous waters.
Southern California has issued voluntary evacuations in Orange County, Yucaipa, and Lytle Creek, all burn areas from the wildfires earlier this year. Evacuations have been ordered due to mudslides and debris flows, as well as flooding.
Powerlines are down, leaving many without power, and heavy rainfall is destroying backyards and leaving one San Bernardino man with ‘three or four feet of mud’ against his house.
The Mississippi Valley to West could experience temperatures in the 70s and 80s, 30 degrees higher than normal. The Ohio Valley will also experience temperatures higher around 25 to 35 degrees higher
Unlike the heavy snowfall in Nevada, and the treacherous flooding California, most Americans will experience a green Christmas.
‘In Christmas-speak, it means Snow Miser has control of the West while Heat Miser has full control of the weather in Southtown with no compromise of snow in Southtown this Christmas,’ the National Weather Service reported.
The Mississippi Valley to West Texas could experience record-high heatwaves, with temperatures soaring to 30 degrees above average, with temperatures expected to reach 70 to 80 degrees, according to CBS.
The Ohio Valley is also expected to have a surge in temperatures, with a 25 to 35 degrees increase from normal temperatures.
Source: dailymail
