(CNN) At least 10 people have died in several states due to severe weather across the country as a powerful storm system that brought golf ball-sized hail and tornadoes to the South continued its late march. on Friday across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
The storm is packing winds strong enough to knock over tractor-trailer trucks, leaving more than 1 million people without power and threatening to bring more heavy rain, tornadoes and strong winds. snow.
The storm system alone dumped feet of snow on parts of California, leaving some trapped in their homes with snow piled as high as second-story windows. and prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency in 13 provinces. Many of those affected are now bracing for another round of snow and rain on Saturday.
Among those who died due to the weather were at least three Kentuckians, Confirmed by Gov. Andy Beshear Friday afternoon. A fourth Kentucky death was reported in Lexington after a tree fell on a car, killing a 41-year-old woman, the Fayette County coroner’s office told CNN — one of at least four deaths. in the US related to fallen trees.
Three other people died in Alabama, one in Arkansas, one in Mississippi, and one in California, according to officials.
More than 60 million people were under threat of severe storms Friday, and nearly 80 million people from Texas to Pennsylvania were under high wind alerts, including nearly entire state of Tennessee.
According to PowerOutage.us, more than 1.2 million customers were without power in the seven worst-affected states as of 1 a.m. ET Saturday — Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Alabama.
Damaging winds, isolated large hail and a few tornadoes will be seen from southern Indiana to Kentucky and Tennessee and northeast Alabama and northwest Georgia. The regions are under increased risk for severe storms that will become more widespread and sometimes stronger.
As the storm pushes north, it will “produce a large swath of heavy snow from the Upper Midwest to New England on Friday and Saturday,” the National Weather Service said. SAYS. “Significant hail and freezing rain are possible south of the heaviest snow.”
As much as a foot of snow was seen in parts of New York and New England.
The storm will bring snow and ice to cities including Chicago and Detroit.
Weather brings tornado watch, flood warnings
The Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado watch for more than 8 million people across southwest Virginia, eastern Tennessee, western North and South Carolina and northern Georgia until 8 pm ET Friday. The watch includes Birmingham in Alabama, Chattanooga and Knoxville in Tennessee, and Cartersville and Carrollton in Georgia.
The main threats include a few tornadoes and scattered damaging wind gusts up to 75 mph.
A “quick move [line of storms] will spread east-northeast from middle Tennessee and northwest Alabama with damaging winds and tornadoes as the primary risks,” the hurricane center said.
A tornado was confirmed at 11:12 am CT south of Reidland, Kentucky, moving northeast at 55 mph.
Flash flood warnings extended for about 400 miles in parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana.
Widespread rain totals of 3 to 5 inches have fallen in the region since Thursday night, with 1 to 3 inches more possible through Friday.
Meanwhile, flood warnings are also in effect for more than 20 million people from Arkansas to Ohio.
“Prolonged high rainfall rates associated with training showers and thunderstorms may also lead to flash flooding in much of the Mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valleys extending east into the Mid -Atlantic,” the Weather Prediction Center said Friday morning.
Tornadoes were spotted on Thursday
In Texas, Louisiana and Alabama, storms damaged homes and businesses and caused flight disruptions at airports on Thursday.
Six tornadoes were reported in the storms Thursday, including five in Texas and one in Louisiana, where several homes were damaged in the city of Shreveport. Across Texas and Oklahoma, there were 18 hailstones, with the largest hailstone reported to be 1.75 inches in diameter, or about the size of a golf ball.
About 120,000 people in Texas were without power early Friday, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.us, including about 8,000 people in metro Dallas-Fort Worth’s Collin County, where winds were strong enough to knock down four 18 -wheel semi-truck, causing parts of a highway to be closed, police said in a tweet.
Power has been restored to medical facilities west of Fort Worth in Weatherford, Texas, where more than half of the town was initially without power and many homes, businesses and city hall were damaged, said city spokesman Blake Rexroat.
California communities buried in snow are bracing for another round
After a brief recovery from a series of winter storms that brought unseasonably cold temperatures and prompted rare blizzard warnings in parts of the state, northern California is expecting another round. of snow starting Saturday.
At the end of the weekend, 1 to 5 Feet of snow is possible in some northern areas, including the Sierra Nevada mountains.
But many communities covered in the latest round of snow have yet to recover as the snowfall blocked critical roads, trapped them in their homes and damaged essential businesses such as grocery stores.
An 80-year-old woman, Lois Barton, died in a “weather-related” incident in Placer County, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Angela Musallam told CNN. He did not share the circumstances of the death, although the area where the incident occurred saw heavy snow and ambient temperatures around freezing Tuesday, CNN meteorologists said.
Governor Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency in 13 counties this week, including hard-hit San Bernardino County where the National Guard arrived Thursday to help rescue snowbound residents and shovel snow. from the streets and from the roofs.
Several structure fires in San Bernardino County appear to be storm-related, the county fire department told CNN. The department said the number of fires was “atypical” but did not provide an exact number.
Gas leaks are believed to be responsible for several house fires in mountain communities, according to Fire Chief Dan Munsey. Many of them are in areas where roads are impassable. Firefighters responded to homes with snowcats and often walked through shovels and hoses and dug hydrants out of the snow to put out the fire, Munsey said.
CNN reached out to Southern California Gas Co., a major supplier in the area, on reports of gas leaks.
In the San Bernardino community of Crestline, residents were immobilized by heavy snowfall and began to worry about access to supplies as their only local grocery store closed after its roof caved in. of heavy snow, resident Paul Solo told CNN.
Emergency crews are still out in force in the snow-covered mountains, eager to clear roads and reach isolated residents with food and supplies.
Rescuers were given ready-to-eat meals to distribute to those who could not get food, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said at a press conference on Friday. The first responders will set up food distribution points and a convoy with food and other supplies to restock supermarkets will be escorted to the mountain, he added.
Nearly 100 inches of snow fell on Crestline and nearby Lake Arrowhead in recent days. Aerial footage from CNN affiliate KCAL showed neighborhoods with impassable streets and homes with snow piled on second-story windows.
The only way to get around is to shovel paths for emergency exits, Solo said. He added, “Every day everyone shovels, and then it rains another two feet.”
Solo believes it could be another week or two before the snow clears.
“Until then, we are stuck in our house. We can’t even leave if we want to.”
CNN’s Sara Smart, Paradise Afshar, Taylor Romine, Joe Sutton, Andy Rose, Taylor Ward, Dakin Andone, Holly Yan, Monica Garrett and Alaa Elassar contributed to this report.