(CNN) A barrage of snow, rain and strong winds is forecast Monday for places from the West Coast to the Great Lakes, with some still without power, as severe storms prompted at least nine tornado reports in parts of Central America. Similar string Severe weather last week.
More than 300,000 American homes and businesses were without power as of Monday afternoon PowerOutage.us. Two-thirds of the outages were in Michigan, which is bracing for another round of snow and ice to hit the region on Monday. More than 66,000 outages were reported in California, and more than 10,000 each in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.
In Oklahoma, at least seven tornadoes and 12 injuries were reported in Sunday’s severe weather. Two tornadoes were reported in Kansas.
More than 100 storm reports — including wind and hail — of hurricane-force winds and severe thunderstorms were recorded in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Memphis, Texas, recorded sustained winds of 114 mph — equivalent to sustained winds in a Category 3 hurricane.
“I woke up and then the wind blew me back. I was screaming,” said Frances Tabler of Norman, Oklahoma. CNN affiliate KOCO. “It was like a blizzard inside the house.”
Early Monday morning, overturned cars and downed trees littered the neighborhood with roofs ripped from homes, CNN’s Ed Lavandera reported.
A preliminary assessment from the National Weather Service office in Norman confirmed Sunday night’s tornado was at least an EF-2. The weather service said the survey team will continue to examine the path of “reported significant damage,” and more details on wind speed, track length and tornado width will be available after the survey is complete.
In anticipation of strong winds and possible hail from Sunday night into Monday, a unit at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, grounded most of its aircraft to protect them and ensure they could still be used if needed. declared.
As the storm turns north Monday afternoon, a slight risk of severe weather — a few tornadoes and wind gusts — could affect cities including Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. A tornado watch is in effect for southeastern Ohio, northeastern Kentucky and western West Virginia until 7 p.m. ET Monday., And a watch was issued until 6 p.m. ET for parts of Ohio, eastern Indiana and northern Kentucky, including Fort Wayne, Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus.
To the west — last week’s storms triggered rare blizzard warnings and road flooding in California — a separate system of rain and high-altitude snow will push from the Pacific Northwest into California and the Rockies into Monday.
Nine western states are under winter weather warnings Monday, with heavy snowfall forecast across the region, with up to 10 inches in Washington state’s strata by early Tuesday; 1 to 3 feet on high and mountainous peaks of western Oregon; and 1 to 3 feet in Rocky Mountain areas.
A blizzard warning is in effect for the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, which could see 2 to 6 feet of snow.
A portion of Interstate 80 — from Applegate, California, to the Nevada state line — was closed Monday “due to whiteout conditions,” the state Department of Transportation said. Tweet.
The National Weather Service warned that travelers could be “trapped in vehicles for hours” in areas under a blizzard warning as visibility could be near zero at times early Wednesday.
Yosemite National Park was closed Saturday due to severe weather and won’t reopen until at least Wednesday, with a multi-day blizzard warning in effect across Yosemite Valley. declared. Between 55 and 84 inches of snow is expected in the valley by Wednesday, the park said.
A storm system affecting Oklahoma and Ohio is expected to push northeastward Monday afternoon, where interior parts of the region could see widespread snowfall of 6 to 12 inches.
Meanwhile, the South is expecting another week of unusually warm winter temperatures after simmering under record highs last week.
Dozens of daily high temperature records could be broken again in the coming days, as parts of southern Texas and the Florida peninsula see temperatures in the 90s.
The Southern Plains was declared a Cyclone
As the National Weather Service reviews severe weather reports Sunday through Monday morning, it will work to determine whether the system can be classified as a terrego, which forecasters have previously said was possible.
A derego is a spread, Prolonged wind stormIt usually causes damage in a relatively straight path in one direction Weather Service. To be classified as a terrego, wind damage must extend more than 240 miles and have winds of at least 58 mph for most of its length, it says.
In all, more than 140 storm reports were made across the Southern Plains Sunday, with winds mainly across Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma. It also included 14 hail reports in those states, with many reported as 1.75 inches in diameter.
Nine tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma and Kansas, including in the Oklahoma city of Norman, where police warned of road closures, downed power lines and debris.
The Norman Police Department reported 12 weather-related injuries Monday morning. None are in critical condition, the department said after consulting with area hospitals.
Students on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman were told to take immediate shelter Sunday evening because the area was under a tornado warning that has since been lifted.
Officials in Oklahoma are still assessing the damage, although Norman, Shawnee and Cheyenne appear to have the most damage, said Kelly Cain, director of public affairs for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
Among the damaged buildings was the United States Postal Service Training Facility in Norman, according to a USPS spokesperson. No injuries were reported at the National Center for Workforce Development, but some windows were blown out and power lines downed in the parking lot, a spokeswoman said. No mail is processed or handled on the site.
About a dozen families displaced by a tornado in Liberal, Kansas, are being housed, and about 10 trailers have been damaged, City Manager Rusty Varnato said. At least one person was injured by the broken glass, the injuries were minor, he said.
Hard-hit Great Lakes advances to another round
Freezing rain, snow and ice across the Great Lakes region and Midwest last week caused dangerous travel conditions, road closures and significant power outages. Disrupts daily life For many.
This week, the Great Lakes are bracing for another hit, including Michigan, where about 130,000 homes and businesses were still without power early Monday after earlier storms damaged trees and utility lines.
DTE, one of Michigan’s largest electric companies, said 630,000 customers were affected by the storm so far. By Sunday night, power had been restored to about 600,000 customers, the utility said.
Another round of mixed rain is expected on Monday, and those under winter weather warnings could see 2 to 8 inches of snow.
As the storm moves east, a winter storm watch will remain in effect for parts of New York and inland New England until Wednesday afternoon. In total, these isolated areas saw up to 10 inches of snow.
Boston, which is under a winter weather advisory, is expected to see 2 to 5 inches of snow Monday evening through Tuesday evening.
CNN’s Aya Elamroussi, Haley Brink, Rebekah Reiss, Tina Burnside and Keith Allen contributed to this report.
