New coast-to-coast winter storm is forecast to pummel parts of California, the Midwest and US north-east this week.
Parts of the north-east could see up to 8in (20cm) of snow, the National Weather Service (NWS) said, with New York City getting 2-6in.
Further heavy snow is forecast on the other side of the country for California’s mountainous areas.
It comes as 12 people were injured by tornadoes in Oklahoma.
“New York City will be on the southern edge of the heaviest snowfall and could mix with sleet at times, limiting snowfall amounts to the 2-6-[inch] range, but still likely the biggest snowstorm of the season,” the NWS said in its latest forecast.
New Yorkers have had an unusually snow-free winter so far. Winter storm warnings are also in effect for all of Connecticut and Rhode Island.
On Monday, residents of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Texas were urged to seek shelter as tornadoes and powerful winds hit the region.
A woman looks over her home that was destroyed in Oklahoma on Sunday
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
Image caption,
Tornadoes in Oklahoma destroyed several homes and knocked down power lines on Sunday
In Oklahoma, seven tornadoes were reported to have hit the state late on Sunday. Footage emerged showing overturned cars and homes with collapsed roofs due to the strong winds.
A wind speed of 114mph (183km/h) was recorded in northern Texas near the border with Oklahoma – the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane.
The NWS and experts have said that the weather pattern probably qualifies as a “derecho”, a rare weather pattern characterised by extremely strong straight-line winds.
Parts of Michigan, where more than 151,000 people remained without power after a winter storm last week, are also expected to be hit again.
Media caption,
Oklahoma storm destroys homes, leaves a dozen injured
Californians have already faced mass power outages, flooding and the closures of both motorways and beaches as a winter storm swept that US state.
More than 120,000 people – many of them in the Los Angeles area – lost electricity after days of fierce winds.
As of Monday evening, around 48,500 homes in California remained without power.
Yosemite National Park will remain closed until Wednesday because of severe winter conditions.
Residents of the state capital of Sacramento have been warned to avoid travel until Wednesday with rain and snow starting up again.
