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From California to NY, storms ravage US

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Parts of the Northeast are gearing up for what could be very heavy snow Tuesday, after tornadoes and other powerful winds swept through parts of the Southern Plains and the Midwest, killing at least one person in Oklahoma, and some Michigan residents faced a sixth consecutive day without power following last week’s ice storm.

In California, the National Weather Service said winter storms will continue moving into the state through Wednesday.

A look at the weather threats around the country:

Tornado cleanup

A storm system produced at least four tornadoes as it moved across central and northeastern Illinois on Monday, including two that formed in suburbs west of Chicago, authorities said. Initial reports suggested damage there was limited to fallen trees or shingles torn from buildings, said Rafal Ogorek, a meteorologist in the Chicago office of the National Weather Service.

At least one person was killed and three others injured after a tornado touched down Sunday night in far western Oklahoma near the town of Cheyenne, where 20 homes were damaged and four others destroyed.

Statewide, Oklahoma officials received reports of 55 people who suffered weather-related injuries from area hospitals.

Officials in Norman, Oklahoma, confirmed 12 weather-related injuries after tornadoes and wind gusts as high as 90 mph were reported in the state Sunday night. The winds toppled trees and power lines, closed roads and damaged homes and businesses around Norman and Shawnee.

The line of quick-moving thunderstorms that produced a swath of damaging wind gusts likely qualified as a derecho, although that’s not an official designation, said Nolan Meister, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Meister said a wind gust of 114 mph was recorded in Texas, with gusts between 70 mph and 90 mph in central Oklahoma.

More than 76,000 customers lost power in Oklahoma, but most had it restored by Monday morning, Oklahoma’s Office of Emergency Management reported.

There were reports of nine tornadoes in Kansas, Oklahoma and northwestern Texas, weather officials said. One tornado near Liberal, Kansas, damaged more than a dozen homes and caused minor injuries to one person, KSNW-TV reported.

Blizzard conditions in western U.S.

Blizzard warnings went into effect Monday in the Sierra Nevada range as more rounds of rain and snow moved into California and Nevada.

An avalanche warning was issued for the backcountry around Lake Tahoe, where up to 6 feet of snow was expected over the next two days in the upper elevations and gale-force winds could create waves up to 5 feet high on the lake, the National Weather Service in Reno said Monday.

The new series of storms arrived even as parts of California were still digging out from last week’s powerful storm, which added to a massive snowpack left by a siege of “atmospheric rivers” in December and January.

A 90-mile stretch of U.S. 395 in California’s eastern Sierra was shut down Monday evening due to whiteout conditions, state transportation officials said. Yosemite National Park announced it would be closed until midweek, and numerous roads were closed in Sequoia National Park. Trans-Sierra highways were subject to closures and chain requirements.

Los Angeles County declared a cold weather alert for valley and mountain areas north of LA as overnight temperatures were expected to plunge below freezing for much of the week. Shelters were opened for residents who don’t have access to warm spaces.

East of Los Angeles, roads to San Bernardino Mountain resort communities around Big Bear Lake were closed after snow began falling again. The storm stranded more than 600 students at science camps in the Big Bear area over the weekend.

The northbound side of Interstate 5, the West Coast’s major north-south highway, was shut down by wintry conditions and disabled vehicles about 90 miles south of the Oregon line. Interstate 80, the major route between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe and Reno was closed due to blizzard conditions.

Storms in the northeast

A winter storm warning covered parts of the Northeast, including Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island, with heavy snow forecast through Tuesday afternoon.

Boston could get 5 inches and a messy Tuesday morning commute, according to the weather service. As much as 10 inches could fall in western Massachusetts, northwest Connecticut and southern Vermont.

In Michigan, still reeling from last week’s ice storm and high winds, about 152,000 customers were without power early Tuesday.

While not expecting a blockbuster storm by regional standards, southern New England braced for what could be the most significant snowfall of what has so far been a mild winter.

A person drags a sled through the snow at Frazier Park Monday in Calif. A winter storm warning is in effect for the area through Wednesday. DAVID CRANE/THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER VIA AP
People visit Mount Diablo State Park in Walnut Creek, Calif., Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. In California, the National Weather Service said a series of winter storm systems will continue moving into the state through Wednesday after residents got a brief break from severe weather Sunday. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Neighbors walk in front of a home damaged at Wheatland Drive and Conway Drive on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 in Norman, Okla. The damage came after rare severe storms and tornadoes moved through Oklahoma overnight. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
A drone photo of homes damaged along Conway Drive on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 in Norman, Okla. The damage came after rare severe storms and tornadoes moved through Oklahoma overnight. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
Neighbors look at damage to homes along Frost Lane on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 in Norman, Okla. The damage came after rare severe storms and tornadoes moved through Oklahoma overnight. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
A home sits damaged along Frost Lane on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 in Norman, Okla. The damage came after rare severe storms and tornadoes moved through Oklahoma overnight. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
Jacob Young, front, and his family works to remove debris from their back yard on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 in Norman, Okla. after a tornado passed through the area. The damage came after rare severe storms and tornadoes moved through Oklahoma overnight. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
Freezing rain coats road signs for Winter and Spring streets in Spring Lake, Mich., on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. (Cory Morse/MLive.com/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
A DTE contractor crew works on a power line, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, in northwest Detroit. Some Michigan residents faced a fourth straight day without power as crews worked to restore electricity to more than 165,000 homes and businesses in the Detroit area after last week's ice storm. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
A DTE contractor crew works on a power line, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, in northwest Detroit. Some Michigan residents faced a fourth straight day without power as crews worked to restore electricity to more than 165,000 homes and businesses in the Detroit area after last week's ice storm. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Aaron Lee, 7, and his mother play in the snow at the Deukmejian Wilderness Park, a rugged 709-acre site in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, at the northernmost extremity of the City of Glendale, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
People walk along a trail partially covered in snow at the Deukmejian Wilderness Park, a rugged 709-acre site in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, at the northernmost extremity of Glendale, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A man, dog and two kids walk near a pile of trash and debris on the beach that washed down the Santa Ana River in Huntington Beach on Monday, February 27, 2023, after the recent rain storms that hit Southern California. (Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register via AP)
A man walks through downtown Los Angeles as another storm begins on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. (Sarah Reingewirtz/The Orange County Register via AP)
Snow surrounds the I-5 freeway through Gorman, Calif., Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. A winter storm warning is in effect for the area through Wednesday. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)
A man walks through Mount Diablo State Park in Walnut Creek, Calif., Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. In California, the National Weather Service said a series of winter storm systems will continue moving into the state through Wednesday after residents got a brief break from severe weather Sunday. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)