On Wednesday, snow, sleet, and icy rain were predicted to persist in the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic regions. Meanwhile, California was bracing for a storm that could inundate areas affected by recent wildfires.

The National Weather Service reported that certain areas in Virginia and West Virginia could receive significant snowfall, amounting to nearly 14 inches (25 centimeters). Additionally, ice accumulation in Stanleytown, Virginia, may exceed a third of an inch (8.4 millimeters), while Glendale Springs, North Carolina, could see around a quarter of an inch (6.3 millimeters).

In California, an incoming atmospheric river—a lengthy band of water vapor element transporting tropical moisture northward—is expected to arrive late Wednesday, increasing the risk of flooding in urban settings throughout central and Southern California, as per forecasts.

The snowstorm that affected the mid-Atlantic region earlier this week led to icy roads and resulted in school closures. By Tuesday night, nearly 12,000 residents in Virginia were reported without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

The Virginia Department of Transportation urged individuals to stay home on Tuesday night, using social media to remind residents with a playful meme featuring Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” declaring, “There’s no place like home.”

In parts of Baltimore and Washington, the weather service reported that an inch (2.5 centimeters) of snow was accumulating each hour. Consequently, all public schools in Washington, D.C., were closed on Wednesday due to the weather conditions.

Appalachian Power, which services one million customers in West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee, noted it had deployed 5,400 workers focused on power restoration efforts.

Approximately 65 soldiers from the Virginia National Guard were stationed at facilities along key transportation corridors, such as Interstate 95 and State Route 29, to assist with the storm response. An additional 20 soldiers, alongside members of the Virginia Defense Force, were fulfilling supportive roles.

Winter storm warnings were issued from northwestern North Carolina to southern New Jersey, with forecasts indicating that the wintry mix would transition to rain by Wednesday afternoon as temperatures rose.

Simultaneously, a different storm system was anticipated to bring heavy snowfall across a swath from Kansas to the Great Lakes beginning Tuesday night, as reported by the weather service. Due to weather concerns, the Kansas Legislature canceled its meetings on Wednesday, and Governor Laura Kelly shut down state offices in the capital, Topeka.

In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency, leading to the closure of schools and government offices on Tuesday. Virginia State Police documented around 700 accidents and multiple injuries, although spokesperson Matt Demlein noted that it is unclear if all incidents were directly due to the weather.

In southern West Virginia, several major highways were temporarily closed due to multiple accidents. Smith’s Towing and Truck Repair responded to at least 15 calls from tractor-trailer drivers stuck on Interstate 64 near the Virginia border, according to dispatcher Kelly Pickles.

“They often get pulled into the median or drift off the road slightly and lack the traction to return due to icy conditions,” Pickles explained.

Paige Williams, owner of Downtown Books in Lexington, Virginia, closed her shop on Tuesday because of the inclement weather, expressing hope to reopen on Wednesday, citing her confidence in local road-clearing efforts.

However, with temperatures fluctuating around the freezing point, she admitted that the subsequent rainfall might either improve or worsen road conditions.

“It all hinges on how temperatures behave,” Williams noted. “Rain can either melt the ice or create new ice, leading to hazardous roads.”

An Arctic air mass spread from Portland, Oregon, to the Great Lakes.

Temperatures plummeted as low as minus 31 degrees (-35 degrees Celsius) in Butte, Montana, where concerns about cold exposure have led to at least five fatalities over the previous two winters, according to Brayton Erickson, executive director of the Butte Rescue Mission.

City advocates for the homeless were seen distributing sleeping bags, jackets, mittens, and other winter gear to those in need, as per Erickson’s report.

“In extreme cold like this, we mobilize all available resources,” Erickson stated.

In Oregon’s Multnomah County, officials announced an extension of the state of emergency until at least Thursday, with five emergency shelters opening from Tuesday night through Wednesday afternoon. The weather service predicted that by midweek, wind chill values could drop to 10 degrees (-12 degrees Celsius) in Portland.

The anticipated atmospheric river is expected to hit California starting late Wednesday, reaching its peak effects on Thursday, as stated by Miles Bliss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Expect heavy snowfall in the Sierra Nevada alongside the potential for flooding.

Over 700,000 sandbags have been distributed throughout central and Southern California, as reported by the California Department of Water Resources.

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This report includes contributions from Associated Press journalists across the United States.