OAN Roy Francis
2:00 PM PT – Thursday, February 23, 2023
Harsh winter storms have been savaging the country and are expected to bring snow, icing, blizzard conditions, and power outages from California to the Northeast on Thursday.
The storms have placed more than 60 million people across the country on winter alerts leaving nearly one million homes with no power. Damaged utility lines and trees can be seen from the West Coast to New York and into New England.
Search and rescue teams in certain areas have already been deployed. Wyoming has already seen over 40 inches of snow, with search and rescue operations underway in several counties to recover travelers who had been stuck on the roads due to the heavy snow.
More than 160 vehicle crashes were reported in Minnesota which also saw heavy snowfall on Thursday.
Governor Tony Evers (D-Wisc.) declared a state of emergency in Wisconsin due to the severe conditions. A statement released from his office said that the declaration will “allow for a more swift and efficient restoration” of any outages across the state.
The upper Midwest and Northeast are predicted to see an additional six to 12 inches of snow with very strong winds and icy rain as well.
On the west coast, southern California will be under a blizzard warning, the first that the area has seen since 1989, from Friday morning well into Saturday evening. The blizzard warning will be accompanied by heavy snowfall across the state.
The storms across the country have caused major disruptions, with more than 680 flights being cancelled on Thursday, following the 1,600 from Wednesday. Hazardous road conditions caused several states that include South Dakota, Wyoming, Arizona, North Dakota, and Minnesota to close down their highways.
Power outages are also a common occurrence across the country, which could potentially turn deadly as large parts of the country is facing freezing temperatures.