Atmospheric 'Bowling Ball' Hits California, Rolls On

An atmospheric river that's also being described as an atmospheric "bowling ball" hit California over the weekend, dumping heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada and more than 7 inches of rain in some parts of southern California, and triggering flood watches across large portions of the state and into Nevada. Parts of the Sierra Nevada could get as much as 5 feet of snow and could see whiteout conditions continuing into Monday, Yahoo News reports; multiple roadways were closed due to heavy snow. Power outages were also reported in both northern and southern California.

Axios is calling it a "major winter coast-to-coast storm," and it's expected to hit a wide swath of the country from Colorado to Minnesota from Monday through Wednesday and, by the end of the week, the east coast. By that point, it's forecasted to have dumped a foot or more of snow across at least six states and possibly caused tornadoes in the South, developing into a possible blizzard in some areas. Highways across the country are expected to be forced to shut down portions. "Heavy snow will bring major impacts to many areas across the country," the National Weather Service warned. "Travel could become impossible."

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