Snow in the forecast for a 2500 km trail from California to Maine

CHICAGO – Spring may be visible, but as the calendar has passed in March, forecasters on Friday predicted a blistering winter storm, with snow and icy rain covering a 2500-kilometer trail in northern California. south of Maine. It was also expected that the rain would flood southern California and much of the south, from Texas to Virginia.

"I think everyone is upset," said Kent Flake, St. Louis Street Commissioner, where crews began preparing the roads on Friday morning, anticipating six inches of snow expected.

Mr. Flake, an 18-year-old city government veteran, said he could not remember a winter in St. Louis with more storms. All this snow and ice, he said, left about three times more potholes than normal.

In Kansas City, Missouri, where one could expect up to five inches of snow and temperatures below freezing, the National Weather Service urged the population to be safe. supply bread and milk. "We have already done this exercise before," the agency wrote on Twitter. In Peoria, Illinois, where snow was possible Saturday until Sunday, the city solicited the nominees on Friday for the "Golden Shovel Awards," paying tribute to residents "who are doing their utmost to keep the sidewalks clean. And in the Minneapolis area, where February's snowiest February was coming to an end, according to local media, March began with more snow and freezing temperatures.

Even in places where snow was unlikely on weekends, the forecasts did not inspire much enthusiasm. In Chicago, forecasters have warned of chills of zero from early next week, cold enough to cause frostbite, and indicated that springtime would be in at least two weeks.

Here is what you need to know.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings or warnings for the Midwestern West, including St. Louis, Kansas City, Wichita, Denver, Cheyenne and South Lake Tahoe. The service also issued flood warnings along some of the southern rivers; the waters of the Mississippi are particularly high.

"It's not uncommon to see a storm spread from coast to coast," said Paul Walker, Senior Meteorologist at Accuweather.

The storm is expected to hit the west coast Friday night, Walker said. It will take until Sunday night to reach the east coast, where he could commute on Monday morning. But he warned that there was still a lot of uncertainty regarding the storm.

Before the arrival of the front, the metropolitan area of ​​New York could wake up in the rain and rain Saturday morning.

While New Yorkers are used to the end of winter, last month's snow in generally warmer states surprised residents.

• In Los Angeles County, he it snowed, oh briefly, on February 21 in Malibu, West Hollywood, Pasadena and Northridge, and most flakes quickly melted. Los Angeles had not seen snow since January 1962. The silver lining of California snow? The six to ten feet that fell in the mountains of Sierra Nevada this winter have erased the drought conditions that have plagued most of California, Walker said. So, the state should not be as dry this summer because the snowpack is melting.

• Hawaii experienced a storm in the middle of winter that caused a gust of 150 km / h, waves of 20 meters and snow on Maui. Snow is perhaps the largest accumulation observed at this low altitude on Maui.

• In the southwest, Flagstaff, Arizona, received more than 30 inches during a storm in late February. The National Meteorological Service said that the Phoenix area had more snow since 2015.

• The same storm that spilled nearly three feet in Phoenix gave Las Vegas its first measurable snow in over a decade.