Winter storms sweep across US as new system expected for Thanksgiving: NPR

WINDSOR, Calif. – Forecasters warned over the weekend that another round of wintry weather could complicate travel leading up to Thanksgiving in parts of the United States

In California, where one person was found dead in a vehicle submerged in floodwaters on Saturday, authorities braced for more rainfall while still dealing with flooding and small landslides from an earlier storm. And thousands in the Pacific Northwest remained without power after several days of darkness.

A winter storm warning for California’s Sierra Nevada Saturday was in effect through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations and wind gusts potentially reaching 55 mph. Total snowfall of about 4 feet was forecast, with the heaviest accumulations Monday and Tuesday.

Forecasters said the Midwest and Great Lakes regions will see rain and snow Monday, and the East Coast will be most affected on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

A low pressure system will bring rain to the Southeast early Thursday before moving northeast, where areas from Boston to New York could see rain and strong winds. Parts of northern New Hampshire, northern Maine and the Adirondacks may get snow. If the system tracks further inland, the forecast will call for less snow for the mountains and more rain.

Deadly ‘bomb cyclone’ roared ashore on the west coast

The West Coast storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, mostly in the Seattle area, before its strong winds moved through northern California. The system roared ashore on the West Coast on Tuesday as a “bomb cyclone”, which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly. It unleashed violent winds that toppled trees onto roads, vehicles and homes.

Santa Rosa, Calif., experienced its wettest three-day period on record with about 12.5 inches of rain falling Friday night, according to the National Weather Service in the Bay Area. On Saturday, vineyards in Windsor, about 10 miles to the north, were flooded.

To the west, rescuers in Guerneville found a body inside a vehicle bobbing in floodwaters around 10 p.m. 11:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Rob Dillion, a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy and spokesman. The deceased was believed to be a victim of the storm, but an autopsy had not yet been performed.

Dominick Conti, a 19-year-old volunteer firefighter, and a friend drove around the Santa Rosa area Friday helping people whose vehicles were flooded. With his 2006 Dodge Ram pickup truck and a set of ropes, they were able to rescue the driver of a sedan stalled in the water, a truck stuck in a giant mud hole, and a farmer stranded on a dirt road

Tens of thousands lose power in the Seattle area

About 80,000 people in the Seattle area were still without electricity after this season’s strongest atmospheric river — a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows over land. Crews worked to clear streets of downed lines, branches and other debris, while cities opened warming centers so people heading into their fourth day without power could get hot food and plug in their cellphones and other devices.

Power came back on in the afternoon at Katie Skipper’s home in North Bend, about 30 miles east of the city in the foothills of the Cascades, after being out since Tuesday. It was tiring to take cold showers, rely on a wood stove for heat and use a generator to keep the refrigerator cold, Skipper said, but those inconveniences paled in comparison to the injuries other people suffered, such as from fallen trees.

“It’s really sad and scary,” she said.

The Northeast will receive much-needed rainfall

Another storm brought rain to New York and New Jersey, where rare wildfires have raged in recent weeks, and heavy snow to northeastern Pennsylvania. Parts of West Virginia were under a blizzard warning through Saturday morning, with up to 2 feet of snow and high winds making travel treacherous.

Despite the mess, the rainfall was expected to help ease drought conditions after an unusually dry fall.

“It’s not going to be a drought disturbance, but it will certainly help when all this melts,” said Bryan Greenblatt, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Binghamton, New York.

Heavy snow fell in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Pocono Mountains. Higher elevations reported up to 17 inches, with smaller accumulations in valley cities such as Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Fewer than 80,000 customers in 10 counties lost power, and the state Department of Transportation imposed speed limits on some highways.

Parts of West Virginia also saw their first significant snowfall of the season Friday and overnight Saturday, with up to 10 inches in the higher elevations of the Allegheny Mountains. Some areas were under blizzard warnings.

The rainfall helped put a dent in the state’s worst drought in at least two decades. It was also a boost for West Virginia ski resorts preparing to open their slopes in the coming weeks.