Winter storm threatens record snowfall in parts of US

The National Weather Service issued winter storm, blizzard and high-wind advisories for large parts of the western and north-central United States. Up to two feet (61 cm) of snow and winds of up to 60 miles (97 km) per hour were expected in some spots from Tuesday through Thursday.

Snow falling at a rate of two inches an hour and gusty winds will make travel conditions treacherous and perhaps impossible in parts of the Northern Plains and the Upper Midwest, the service said in its forecast.

"Snowplow crews will be out working statewide, but this storm could be a doozy," the Minnesota Department of Transportation said in a tweet.

While much of the United States will grapple with cold, snowy weather, parts of the South may, by contrast, see record high temperatures this week.

Some parts may have temperatures that are over 100 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than in the Northern Plains, the forecast showed. Orlando could hit a record high of 90 degrees (32 C), while the temperature is expected to drop to -16 (-27 C) in Billings, Montana, the NWS said.

The slow-moving storm started over the Presidents' Day holiday weekend, bringing heavy rain to parts of California and snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains. On Tuesday, it was centered over the northern Rockies and the High Plains, including Montana and the Dakotas.

Starting Wednesday, the storm will move into the Upper Midwest with "some of the greatest impacts in Minnesota and Wisconsin," said Frank Pereira, a forecaster with the NWS Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

Late on Wednesday through Thursday, the storm will bring heavy snow and freezing rain to New England. New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine could get a foot or more of snow, Pereira said.

The lingering storm could also dump snow across California. Nearly all of the state's 39 million residents will either witness snow falling or be able to see the tops of nearby mountains covered in snow this week, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said.

Strong winds knocked out power to more 163,000 California homes and businesses on Tuesday, largely in the counties just south of San Francisco, as peak wind at San Francisco International Airport reached 68 mph (109 kph) on Tuesday afternoon, the weather service said.