A winter storm brought freezing rain and heavy snow to the Pacific Northwest region on Tuesday, as the rest of the country faced brutally cold weather brought on by an Arctic blast, causing power outages, travel disruptions and school closures across the country.
A squirrel eats acorns in the snow in Central Park on Tuesday
Extreme conditions are likely to persist in parts of the country on Wednesday, while another Arctic blast is expected later this week, bringing more chilly weather, the National Weather Service said in an update Wednesday morning.
The agency warned of continued freezing rains along both sides of the Washington-Oregon state lines, including Seattle, while areas around Portland, Salem and Eugene witness between 0.25 to an inch of ice.
After facing brutally cold temperatures with wind chills 30 degrees below zero, the Cascades and Rockies may see snowfall rates exceeding 2 inches per hour.
Areas around the Great Lakes region will continue to see heavy lake-effect snowfall, the NWS update added.
The severe weather conditions have left more than 70,000 homes and businesses in Oregon without power, while Tennessee and Texas also face widespread outages.
2,475. That is the number of flight cancellations reported across the U.S. on Tuesday, according to a tracker run by Flight Aware. The disruptions are likely to continue on Wednesday, as 781 flights have already been canceled for the day.
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