From blizzards to torrential rain, extreme weather dominates across the U.S.

Early rush hour traffic is seen along Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield, Mich., shortly after the start of a winter storm Friday.
Corey Williams/AP

Powerful winter storm systems are wreaking havoc across the U.S. and will continue over the next several days.

Governors in Arkansas, Colorado, New York and Louisiana have already issued states of emergencies in light of the severe weather.

As of Sunday morning, some 300,000 customers were without power across several states, according to PowerOutage.us. The biggest share of outages — more than half — was in Oregon. But large swaths of Michigan and Wisconsin were also without electricity.

Meanwhile, more than 2,400 U.S. departing and incoming flights were canceled on Saturday, FlightAware.com reported, and some 750 others had been canceled on Sunday.

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A snowstorm in Iowa has also impacted Republican presidential candidates ahead of Monday's caucuses.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis postponed four events on Friday after campaigning in-person north of Des Moines earlier that day, according to The Associated Press. Meanwhile, both former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump pivoted their Iowa events online on Friday. In a video to Iowa voters, Trump said he will try to make it to the state by late Saturday night.

In New York, the Buffalo Bills also rescheduled their home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers from Sunday to Monday in light of the severe weather.

Dangerous floods threaten New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York

After an evening of heavy rain across the state, New York remained under threat for coastal flooding on Saturday.

In New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, areas near the waterfront and shoreline could receive up to 2.5 feet of flooding. Roads, parking lots, cars and buildings with basements are at risk of being flooded, the National Weather Service said.

A coastal flood warning has also been issued for parts of New Jersey, including Mercer, Gloucester, Camden and Northwestern Burlington, as well as parts of Pennsylvania including Delaware, Philadelphia and Lower Bucks.

Buildings and roads in those areas are at risk of flooding damage, forecasters say, with some roadways becoming "impassable."

Meanwhile, upstate New York and Vermont are forecast to see knee-high snow and strong winds this weekend. Across Oswego, Watertown and Lowville in New York, between 1 to 3 feet of snow is expected to accumulate. The upstate New York hamlets of South Colton and Star Lake were forecast to see between 6 to 18 inches of snow.

Blizzard warning is issued in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota

Portions of northwest and west central Iowa, southwest Minnesota, northeast Nebraska and southeast South Dakota were under a blizzard warning on Saturday night. Wind gusts are expected to reach 45 miles per hour. Forecasters warned that roads will be slippery and the fierce winds will make it difficult to see on the road.

"The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes," the NWS said.

Meanwhile, some snow and strong winds are arriving in Chicago through Sunday morning. Bitter cold from Arctic air will persist through the midweek. It comes after Chicago experienced a near-record warm first half of winter. Forecasters called it the third mildest on record, behind 1890 and 1878.

"The record/near record warm start to winter is going to make the upcoming cold feel much worse," the NWS Chicago office said.

Frost-bite temperatures approach Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi

Frigid cold air is also migrating to the South, packing snow, sleet and freezing rain to Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas through Sunday.

"Unfortunately, hazardous cold weather looks to stick around going into next week, with dangerously low temperatures and wind chills persisting through at least midweek," the NWS wrote.

North and central Texas will see temperatures fall significantly below freezing, with some parts of northwest Texas bound for single digits. Montague, Cooke, Grayson, Young, Jack and Wise counties are slated for "life-threatening" cold temperatures from Saturday night to Sunday morning.

Forecasters expect it to also be brutally cold in Arkansas through mid-week, with Saturday being the warmest day "for a while" and Tuesday bringing the coldest morning. The state may see about half a foot of snow or less this weekend. But the real danger is on Tuesday with temperatures as low as -2 Fahrenheit in parts of northern Arkansas. The NWS said to beware of frostbite and try to keep a spare generator at home.

Similar bitter cold will frost northern Mississippi starting Sunday night through Wednesday, including Jackson and Yazoo City. The NWS says prolonged exposure to the low temperatures may result in frostbite or hypothermia. Pipes exposed to the cold may also be risk of damage.

Meanwhile, a winter storm watch will be in effect for west and middle Tennessee from late Sunday to Tuesday morning. Forecasters say Saturday is the last day Memphis will see above freezing temperatures until Thursday. The city is expected to receive between 4-6 inches of snow through Tuesday.

Snow will likely arrive in Nashville on late Sunday through Tuesday, with the heaviest snowfall occurring on Monday. In total, between 2 to 4 inches is forecast for the music city. That snow is not expected to melt until at least Thursday.

Northwest bound for heavy snow, sub-zero temperatures and avalanche threats

A winter storm watch is in effect for a majority of Oregon, southern Idaho and northern Utah. The threat of winter storm conditions has also put northern Nevada on alert.

After blizzard conditions on Friday night, Idaho will continue to experience snowfall on Saturday. Forecasters say there is a 20% chance that this storm will produce more than 10 inches of snow in Boise.

Meanwhile, in northwest Oregon, freezing rain is forecast to intensify and affect more areas on Saturday, which could cause tree and power line damage.

Forecasters say the combination of heavy snow and strong winds may also trigger avalanches near mountains in Colorado. An avalanche watch is in effect until Monday night.

Parts of northern California were under a flood watch on Saturday. Eureka is expected to see between 2 to 4 inches of rain in coastal plans and valleys, while 5 to 8 inches of rain in higher elevations. The downpour may produce minor flooding and mudslides.

Correction

2024-01-14

An earlier version of this story placed the communities of Star Lake and South Colton in Vermont. Both are hamlets in upstate New York.