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‘Bomb Cyclone’ hits West Coast, winter storms belt Midwest

By The Final Call | Last updated: Dec 4, 2019 - 11:05:06 AM

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LOS ANGELES—California was drenched with rain or blanketed in snow after a powerful Thanksgiving storm that arrived just as a withering, fiery fall had left the state facing the prospect of a return to drought.

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This Caltrans photo shows cars and trucks in stopped traffic on Interstate 5 near Dunsmuir, Calif., Nov. 27. Thanksgiving travel was snarled by two powerful storms. A winter storm blamed for one death and hundreds of canceled flights in the West moved into the Midwest Nov. 27 and dropped close to a foot of snow in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Rain and snow showers continued in parts of the state Nov. 29 while skies elsewhere temporarily cleared but more inclement weather was on the horizon.

It was a remarkable turnabout in a week that began with thousands of people being chased from their homes by a wildfire in parched coastal mountains above Santa Barbara and worrisome data about California’s moisture levels.

A major highway linking California and Oregon fully reopened late Nov. 27, nearly 24 hours after a major storm blew in off the Pacific Ocean and slammed the region with heavy snow, galeforce winds and drenching rain.

Numerous roads in Northwest and North-Central Kansas were partially or completely snow covered after a storm dumped more than five inches of snow across the region right before the holiday weekend. Numerous schools canceled classes in northern and western Wisconsin on Nov. 27 as heavy snow and high wind caused deteriorating travel conditions. The storm brought rain and thunder to southern Wisconsin where the temperature was 50 degrees in Milwaukee the morning of Nov. 27.

Areas of South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin saw more than a foot of snow, canceling hundreds of flights, reported NBC news. “There were 1,410 flight delays and 67 cancellations within the U.S. on Thanksgiving as of 5 p.m. on the East Coast, according to FlightAware,” reported nbcnews.com

Intense wintry weather was expected to hit the Northern Rockies through Nov. 30. Blizzard warnings were issued in Central and Northeastern Wyoming, while winter storm watches and warnings were in place throughout the rest of the state and in Montana.

Compiled from Associated Press and Final Call staff reports.