At least 10 people have died as a ferocious storm swept across the US, bringing travel chaos and severe disruption from the South to America’s northeastern corners.
Golfball-sized hail and tornadoes wreaked havoc as a storm front made landfall this week, overturning trucks and leaving millions in several states without power.
More torrential rain and heavy snowfall are expected over the next week as states like Kentucky, Alabama and Arkansas still reel from the destruction.
Californians in the San Bernadino Valley have been warned to avoid the mountains after 17 feet of snow dumped in the area and residents were trapped.
And at least three Kentuckians have died in the chaos, and officials are reporting additional deaths in Alabama, Mississippi and California.
Severe weather and high winds have wreaked havoc across the United States. Pictured: The roof of a La Azteca grocery store in Little Elm, Texas, collapsed amid violent thunderstorms on Thursday
California was blanketed by up to 17 feet of snow amid the weather chaos
LA residents have witnessed the rare sight of the famous Hollywood sign covered in snow
Millions are without power as a weather front continues to sweep across numerous states
More than 60 million people were threatened by severe storms on Friday, and another 20 million from Texas to Pennsylvania are currently affected by storm warnings.
The sweeping storm left millions in their homes as large numbers of residents in Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Alabama were left without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
One of the deaths in Kentucky reportedly happened after a tree fell on a vehicle while the high winds have also been blowing trucks across the Midwest.
Southern Indiana is also among regions affected by severe weather blowing up from Texas and both US coasts.
The National Weather Service said the storm will continue to advance north through the weekend, producing “a swath of heavy snow from the upper Midwest to New England.”
“Significant sleet and freezing rain are possible south of the heaviest snow,” he added.
According to the forecaster, the travel chaos is expected to handicap residents of the upper Midwest through the Great Lakes through next week, with the possibility of more power outages.
Widespread torrential rain has fallen across the Midwest since Thursday night, with between three and five inches already recorded this week.
Flash flood warnings have been put in place over 400 miles of Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana.
More than 20 million people are under flood protection at the weekend.
“Continued heavy rates of precipitation associated with showers and thunderstorms may also cause flash flooding in much of the Mid-Mississippi and Ohio valleys, stretching east into the mid-Atlantic,” the Weather Prediction Center said Friday morning.
Significant damage was noted in the US as a ferocious weather front swept across the nation. Pictured: A damaged home after a tornado in Jackson Parish, Louisiana
Significant damage was noted in the US as a ferocious weather front swept across the nation. Pictured: A damaged home after a tornado in Jackson Parish, Louisiana
Many trees have also fallen due to the strong winds, resulting in the deaths of several people
State Route 38 in San Bernadino, California, is covered in snow Thursday with high snow banks along the tree-lined road
Big Bear Mountain Resort in the San Bernadino Mountains received more than 11 feet of snow
The Storm Prediction Center also issued a tornado warning for more than eight million people in southwest Virginia, eastern Tennessee, Louisiana, North and South Carolina, and northern Georgia.
Heavy destruction has been reported across the United States in recent days, including a 55-mph tornado confirmed in Reidland, Kentucky, on Saturday.
Wind gusts also resulted in the death of a man in Talladega County, Alabama, on Friday after a tree fell on the truck of 70-year-old Allen Cooley he was in.
Both U.S. coasts may experience up to a foot of snow in the coming days as between six and 12 inches are forecast for New York and New England, while the West Coast continues to suffer from heavy snowfall.
Freezing rain and sleet are also expected to hit New England and surrounding areas, where golfball-sized hailstones have already hit several states.
In California, residents of the San Bernadino Mountains have been trapped for over a week after 17 feet of snow fell in the area.
Sheriff Shannon Dicus warned the public to “stay away from the local mountains” as deputies are still working tirelessly to rescue those trapped in the conditions.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency to help with recovery as supplies in the region are reportedly running out by mid-week.
“Roofs are collapsing everywhere, people need help and rescue. All stores are running low on food and water supplies. Gas stations are low on gas,” Lake Arrowhead resident Miyah Nelson told KTLA.
“We need to clear our streets so people can leave their homes. They’re all trapped.”
An avalanche hit an area home around 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Sierra Sun, and numerous images from across the state showed snowbound people with white walls climbing over doorways and up to second-story windows.