Several winter storms are expected to hit large areas of the country with a mix of snow, heavy winds and rain over the next few days as they roll from coast to coast.
Almost 15 million people in parts of northern and southern California, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, are under a flash flood watch, according to forecasters. 16 million people in northern and central parts of the state are under a wind alert.
The National Weather Service predicts wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour in some parts of the Bay Area and warned residents to expect strong winds that could “blow down limbs, trees, and power lines.” Scattered power outages are also expected Wednesday and Thursday, weather analysts said.
Elsewhere in California, forecasters are predicting storms to dump up to seven feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains. AccuWeather said that storm is expected to hit on Wednesday.
There is also a significant risk of mudslides due to weather conditions Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, forecasters said. Things are expected to calm down by Thursday evening.
The Midwest and Northeast are also in for messy weather. Forecasters said two storm systems will move through parts of those regions over the next several days, bringing snow to places such as Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York City and Washington, D.C.
Blizzard conditions are expected for the Midwest Friday night and into Saturday, forecasters said, adding that it will be a “fast-moving storm.”
Indianapolis will see snow beginning Thursday morning before it switches to rain by that afternoon, weather forecasters said.
Snow may cause a slight headache for commuters traveling home from work Thursday evening in Pittsburgh but by Friday morning residents are expected to wake up to light rain or snow, according to weather analysts.
In New York City, snow is expected to begin to fall early Friday morning and end that afternoon. Chicago will see snow coming down much of the day Saturday, forecasters said.
Things will begin to settle down by Sunday afternoon, analysts predicted. However, Boston will see some snow early Sunday morning before it tapers off later that night.