The storm that dumped snow across parts of the Rockies and northern Plains on Tuesday was expected to bring more severe weather on Wednesday.

The central and southern Plains areas were at risk for severe weather, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.

Swaths of land from New Mexico to Wisconsin were under winter storm warnings,while parts of Utah were under blizzard warnings.

According to the National Weather Service, Oklahoma City and Wichita Falls, Texas, were at risk for tornadoes and possible hailstorms Tuesday night and into Wednesday.

Earlier Tuesday, blizzard warnings were in effect in Colorado, where the temperature plunged more than 50 degrees in less than 24 hours and the wind chill approached zero. Wyoming got more than a foot of snow.

The culprit is a deep dip in the jet stream that swung west and pulled arctic air far into the country. As it collides with warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, strong storms and tornadoes are possible in the Great Plains and Texas.

“It’s just brutal to be outside,” said Eric Fisher, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel.

Full coverage from Weather.com

In Denver, the temperature plummeted from 71 degrees at 2 p.m. Monday to 16 degrees at 7 a.m. Tuesday, with a wind chill of 1. More than 250 flights were canceled into and out of Denver on Tuesday alone.

In Wyoming, authorities closed two stretches of interstate more than 100 miles long — I-25 between Cheyenne and Douglas and I-80 between Laramie and Rawlins. More than a foot of snow fell by midmorning in the city of Lander, and one town near the Nebraska state line reported 2-foot snow drifts.

Snow was also falling at midday Tuesday in Colorado, Utah, the Dakotas and Minnesota.

Brennan Linsley / AP

A man crosses the street during a winter storm that brought snow and a fast plunge in temperature overnight to downtown Denver on Tuesday.

The calendar may say spring, but April is the second-snowiest month of the year in Denver. The city has averaged 9 inches in April since 1882, second only to the 11.5 inches it gets in an average March, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather pattern threatened to bring damaging wind, large hail and perhaps tornadoes to parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa, and weaker storms later in the day in the Ohio Valley.

“We’re looking at the gamut today for severe weather,” Weather Channel meteorologist Kevin Roth said.

As the system moves east, severe storms are possible Wednesday across a boomerang-shaped swath of the country from the Texas Gulf Coast north through Indiana and into western Pennsylvania.

Severe storms could move into Georgia, West Virginia and the Carolinas on Thursday.

NBC News' Becky Bratu and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on Tue Apr 9, 2013 4:59 AM EDT

A powerful winter storm continued to hit much of the country Tuesday, with heavy snow spreading from the Plains to the Great Lakes and severe thunderstorms possible in the South, forecasters warned.

The National Weather Service said the storm would “continue to bring a variety of hazards” to the affected areas. Winds have been gusting up to hurricane strength, with 84 mph recorded at El Paso, Texas.

The storm was blamed for at least two deaths on Monday: Heavy snow caused a roof of a house in Woodward, Okla., to collapse, killing one person inside, and in northwest Kansas, a 21-year-old man was killed when his SUV overturned on an icy patch of Interstate 70. A third death was reported on Tuesday, after a female passenger died in a pickup truck accident on an icy strip of road overnight. Three others were injured in the accident.

Full coverage from weather.com

“We have roofs collapsing all over town,” Woodward Mayor Roscoe Hill, Jr., told Reuters. “We really have a mess on our hands.”

The storm brought the February total in Wichita, Kansas, to 21 inches, breaking a 100-year-old record for the month, NBC station KSN reported. A KSN reporter was covering the storm when a building collapsed under the weight of snow. 

Authorities pleaded with people to stay off the roads because of what Weather Channel meteorologist Greg Postel described as a “really nasty blizzard.”

The NWS said that heavy snow would spread from the Plains to the Great Lakes, with “blizzard conditions possible through early Tuesday.”

“On the south side of the storm system, severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are possible across portions of the Gulf Coast and Southeast,” it added.

Severe thunderstorms and the threat of heavy rainfall remained possible over sections of the southeastern states and the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, the NWS said, as the south side of the storm system moved through the area.

A waterspout came ashore in Tampa, Fla., damaging a Westin hotel, WTSP reported. Winds of 90 mph were reported in Cedar Key, and trees and power lines were down. 

Charleston, S.C., broke its record for rain for the month with 10.46 inches -- and more was falling. 

In a storm summary message posted at 4 a.m. ET, the weather service said blizzard warnings were in effect for parts of central northern Oklahoma with storm watches and warnings in effect for some places from central Oklahoma into the southern Great Lakes.

In Chicago, the wintry mix could affect voter turnout in the special primary to replace former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., in the Illinois 2nd District. As much as five inches of slushy snow was expected in the city’s southern suburbs, and a storm watch has been issued for the northern part of the state.

Keith Myers / The Kansas City Star via AP

A fallen tree limb blocks his drive as John Cushing shoves snow Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo.

Storm watches and warnings were also in effect for portions of the Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states, while ice storm warnings and freezing rain advisories were in effect for parts of West Virginia.

The NWS warned of high winds in the Appalachians in Tennessee, North Carolina and southern Virginia.

In Texas, residents discovered that even their snowdrifts are bigger as they began to dig out from a whopping 19 inches of snow in Amarillo that stranded as many as 100 motorists in the Panhandle and caused Gov. Rick Perry called out military forces.

Farther south, there were flood and flash-flood warnings and watches for “much of the Gulf Coast and southeast U.S. from Louisiana to Georgia.”

Flood watches were also in effect for parts of the mid-Atlantic Region, the NWS notice added, as rain was expected throughout the greater Washington, D.C., area on Tuesday. The mix of rain and wind was expected to begin by noon, picking up through the later part of the day. Meteorologists warned people should expect more rain than sleet as temperatures were likely to remain above freezing. The rain should move out of the area by Wednesday morning, and might yield to sunny skies later in the afternoon.

Commuters in New York City and the tri-state area should also expect to see a late-afternoon cocktail of rain, sleet, and snow. The worst of the storm was likely to hit overnight, though morning commuters might also catch the tail of the storm on Wednesday, forecasters said. As much as six inches of snow could accumulate at higher elevations inland.

Related:

2 dead as wind-whipped winter storm pounds Great Plains

This story was originally published on Tue Feb 26, 2013 5:16 AM EST

A deadly snowstorm packing hurricane-force wind pummeled the Great Plains on Monday, the second bout of fierce winter weather there in less than a week. Authorities pleaded with people to stay off the roads.

Wind gusts of 75 mph were recorded at the airport in Amarillo, Texas, and up to a foot and a half of snow was on the ground — the most in at least 110 years. At least one city fire truck was stuck.

“This is a really nasty blizzard,” said Greg Postel, a meteorologist with The Weather Channel.

The storm was being blamed for at least two deaths: In the town of Woodward, Okla., heavy snow caused a roof to collapse, killing one person inside the home, Oklahoma Highway Patrol told NBC News. And in northwest Kansas, a 21-year-old man was killed when his SUV overturned on an icy patch of Interstate-70, according to Kansas Emergency Management officials.

Full coverage from weather.com

National Guard units set out to help drivers stranded along Interstate 40, but the state said that troopers couldn’t get to everyone because of the whiteout. The wind whipped the snow into 10-foot drifts.

Amarillo had 17 inches of snow on the ground at mid-afternoon, threatening its single-day record of 18.1 inches, set in 1934.

Larry Phillips / Southwest Daily Times via AP

City crews remove snow early on Monday in Liberal, Kan., which is under a blizzard warning until Tuesday at midnight.

Authorities closed highways in the Oklahoma panhandle, which was bracing for more than a foot of snow. The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University canceled afternoon classes.

In Kansas, which was expecting up to 2 feet of snow through Tuesday, Gov. Sam Brownback extended a state of emergency from last week.

“This storm has the potential to be more dangerous than last week’s storm,” he said. His advice to drivers: “Stay off the road unless it’s absolutely critical.” For those who had to drive, he suggested packing charged phones and emergency kits.

The storm last week dumped more than 14 inches of snow on Wichita, Kan., its second-highest total on record. Parts of Kansas got a foot and a half, and parts of Missouri more than a foot.

Jamie Squire / Getty Images

Tow-truck driver Tyson House helps trucker Gary Wheeler after his vehicle slid off the road in Greensburg, Kan., during last week's storm.

Joe Pajor, a public works official, told NBC affiliate KSN in Wichita that this storm would create driving conditions “that are basically unprecedented for the traveling public.”

The storm’s reach extended to the Southeast. The National Weather Service said it could spawn tornadoes Tuesday in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.

FedEx said the storm was causing delays for deliveries in 15 states, as far east as Pennsylvania and as far north as Minnesota.

The storm also threatened to dump 6 inches of snow on Chicago through Tuesday.

The same weather system blanketed Colorado on Sunday. About 200 flights were canceled at the airport in Denver, and Gov. John Hickenlooper told non-essential state workers to report two hours late Monday.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:39 AM EST

Among the deaths blamed on the gusting winter storm that buried parts of the Northeast under 3 feet of snow was an 11-year-old boy in Boston who was overcome by carbon monoxide while keeping warm in the car.

The boy had been helping his father shovel out the car and got cold, NBC affiliate WHDH of Boston reported. The father started the engine, and the boy got inside, a Boston fire official told the station. But the car’s exhaust pipe was covered by a nearly 4-foot tall snowbank.

“The car filled up with the carbon monoxide gases that weren’t escaping through the exhaust system, and the boy was overcome,” a fire official told WHDH.

The boy's father went into respiratory arrest.

“The father started screaming, ‘He’s not breathing, he’s not breathing,’” a neighbor told WHDH. “So the father brings the little boy into my hallway and lays him on the ground and then he comes back out and collapses.”

Fire officials arrived on the scene to find neighbors performing CPR on the boy. Father and son were transported to the Boston Medical Center, where the boy died. His father was undergoing treatment, WHDH reported.

Related:

Clobbered by record-setting blizzard, Northeast begins to dig out

The first major wintry storm of the season hammered the Midwest on Thursday, causing a pileup in blizzard conditions that killed three people, dumping a foot of snow in some areas and creating travel problems during one of the busiest periods of the year. Those travel woes could extend into the Northeast, with high winds and rain expected there Friday.

Nearly 600 flights were canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Thursday, according to FlightStats, and an additional 700 were grounded at Kansas City International, Midway (Chicago), Detroit Metropolitan, Minneapolis-St. Paul International and other Midwest airports.

Southwest Airlines canceled all flights at Midway starting at 4:30 p.m. local time, NBCChicago.com reported.

Full coverage of the storm at The Weather Channel

The storm system also spawned a tornado that flipped vehicles in Mobile, Ala., and cut power to 400,000 homes and businesses. Some 130,000 were still without power Thursday afternoon. 

At least six deaths were tied to the snowstorms: In Iowa, three people died Thursday in a pileup involving more than 30 vehicles on Interstate 35, NBC affiliate WHO-TV reported; in Wisconsin, slick road conditions led to two fatalities; and in Utah, a woman who tried to walk for help after her car became stuck in snow was found dead, officials said late Wednesday. Search and rescue crews on snowmobiles found her buried in the snow just a few miles from her car.

Blizzard or winter storm warnings were issued for 16 states on Thursday, Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Seidel told TODAY.

Northeast cities can expect rain and high winds from the system Friday morning, said NBC meteorologist Bill Karins. Most of the snow should move into Canada Friday night.

A foot of snow fell on Des Moines, Iowa, by early Thursday and residents across the state were urged to stay off the roads.

"Because of the wind, travel is pretty treacherous, especially into Iowa, as the storm moves east," National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Dergan said.

The snow cover will drag temperatures much lower in Iowa and Nebraska, he added. "We're talking single digits. We may even see some sub-zero temperatures in Nebraska. This cold weather will stick around for several days, maybe until the day after Christmas. So we're definitely going to have a white Christmas."

Iowa State Police

Some of the vehicles involved in a pileup on Interstate 35 in Iowa are seen Thursday.

Blowing snow led to school closures in parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. All state government offices also closed in Iowa. Storms in those four states left around 130,000 homes without power. 

"Thundersnow" was reported in Iowa Wednesday night, as thunder and lightning accompanied the storm as it trekked across the state. 

Dietra Tate / NBC 15

This vehicle at a car dealership was flipped over by a storm in Mobile, Ala., on Thursday, Dec. 20.

In Alabama, a tornado peeled the roofs off homes and buildings and toppled vehicles in Mobile, but caused no serious injuries, Al.com reported. Arkansas also saw damage from high winds.

The storm system earlier delivered heavy snow and strong winds to parts of the West, where trucks tangled on icy roads on the Oregon and California state line.

Snowstorm prompts state of emergency in Wisconsin

In West Texas, winds from the same system kicked up a dust storm Wednesday that caused accidents along Interstate 27, resulting in one death and more than a dozen injuries, NBC affiliate KCBD reported.

At Dallas-Fort Worth airport, American Airlines said it canceled about 120 flights Wednesday night due to the storm. 

In Nebraska, snow blowing sideways on Wednesday night forced the closure of a 146-mile stretch of Interstate 80, a major east-west highway. 

In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency on Wednesday. Schools were canceled in advance of heavy snowfall and the University of Wisconsin-Madison postponed Thursday’s final exams.

Before the storm, several Midwest cities had broken records for the number of consecutive days without measurable snow.

In Chicago, people made a run on snow shovels and salt ahead of what should be the first snow to hit the city in 290 days (the record is 296). 

The storm has package delivery companies nervously checking the weather forecast during this busy time of year. "We’re closely monitoring the storm," FedEx spokesman Scott Fiedler told NBC News. "We have a team of 15 meteorologists who track the weather around the world every day."

Related: UPS, FedEx weather experts work on timely deliveries
Related: Chicago braces for 'thundersnow'
Related: Bad in US? Try Russia, where some parts as low as 50 below
Related: Slideshow of wintry scenes around the world

Along the East Coast, the I-95 corridor isn't expected to see much, if any, snow.

"Snow may make it as close to New York City as Western Connecticut but right now, other than a few flurries Friday night, I think New York City through Boston will be mostly snow-free," Tom Niziol, the winter weather expert at The Weather Channel, told NBC News.

"Areas to the southeast of the Great Lakes, from Cleveland through Syracuse will get heavier snowfall," he added. "Higher elevations from the Adirondacks through the western slopes of the Central Appalachians will also get snow."

NBC News' Isolde Raftery and A. Pawlowski, as well as The Associated Press and Reuters, contributed to this report.

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Matt Volz / AP

A man walks his dog past a half-buried statue of a newspaper boy in Helena, Mont., on Friday. The first major winter storm of the year led to blizzard warnings parts of Montana and dumped more than a foot of snow in Helena.

Snow and wind across parts of the western U.S. could create blizzard conditions into the weekend, triggering a number of winter weather advisories across the West.

Meteorologists predict the winter storm, which The Weather Channel dubbed "Brutus," could be worst over northern Montana, where blizzard warnings persist through Saturday morning, according to Weather.com. The winter system comes just days after a nor'easter hit the Northeast, which was still digging out from Superstorm Sandy.

Moisture moving from the Pacific, cold air over the mountain ranges and wind are combining to create potential blizzard conditions, according to Weather.com.

"The clouds have really blossomed across parts of the northern Rockies and northern High Plains, and that’s the area of heavy snow that’s been setting up over the last 24 hours," said meteorologist Carl Parker on The Weather Channel.

Montana will likely see the brunt of this system. The storm already began affecting Bozeman, Mont., where up to 8 inches of snow could fall by Saturday night, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported.

As of early Friday, nearly 10 inches of snow had fallen in Great Falls, Mont., the Weather Channel reported.

"The snow is likely to stick around through Saturday morning with additional accumulation expected for eastern Montana and lighter flurries for Billings and areas west," said Brad Carl, a meteorologist for KULR-8, Billing's NBC News affiliate.

AP Photo/Weather Underground

This NOAA satellite image taken Friday at 11 a.m. ET shows a low pressure system over the Rocky Mountains, with snow and cloudy conditions from Montana to Utah.

The National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures to be 10 to 25 degrees below average in parts of the northern high Plains, while sleet and freezing rain is possible over parts of the Upper Midwest.

Wind gusts as high as 85 mph blew into Salt Lake City on Friday, where snow began to fall in the morning, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. The area is already seeing crashes and power outages caused by the weather. Through the weekend, mountain areas in Utah could see one to two feet of snow, the newspaper added.

At least 12 to 18 inches of snow is expected across the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado, according to The Weather Channel.

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Vicki Smith / AP

Snow covers the streets Tuesday, after Superstorm Sandy moved through Elkins, W.Va. Sandy buried parts of West Virginia under more than a foot of snow on Tuesday, cutting power to at least 243,000 customers and closing dozens of roads. At least one death was reported.

Wet snow and high winds spinning off the edge of Superstorm Sandy spread blizzard conditions over parts of West Virginia and neighboring Appalachian states Tuesday, shutting one interstate as trucks and cars bogged down and knocking out power to many.

The National Weather Service said more than a foot of snow was reported in lower elevations of West Virginia, where most towns and roads are. High elevations in the mountains were getting more than two feet and a blizzard warning for parts of the state was in effect until Wednesday afternoon.

Nearly 265,000 people in West Virginia were without power on Tuesday morning, according to The Charleston Gazette.

In Elkins, a city of about 7,000 people, power went out across town before dawn and the only lights were from passing snow plows as heavy, wet flakes piled up to about 8 inches.

Authorities closed more than 45 miles of Interstate 68 on either side of the West Virginia-Maryland state line because of blizzard conditions and stuck cars.

On the Maryland side, crews were trying to remove several tractor-trailers stuck on the highway. Four or five passenger vehicles also were abandoned in the median, State Highway Administration spokeswoman Kelly Boulware said.

The higher elevations in western parts of Maryland received more than a foot of snow since Monday afternoon, and it was still snowing Tuesday before dawn, Boulware said.

Police rescued several stranded motorists on the interstate in West Virginia, according to a spokeswoman for the state's Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Bruce Schreiner / AP

Fred Brugge of Lexington, Ky., clears snow from his car windshield on Tuesday, at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park at Prestonsburg in eastern Kentucky. Snow settled in across portions of Kentucky's Appalachian region as part of Superstorm Sandy hitting the eastern U.S.

Officials in West Virginia said a woman was killed Monday in a storm-related traffic accident. A spokeswoman for Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said about 5 inches of snow had fallen in the area of Tucker County where the crash occurred, making road conditions treacherous.

A West Virginia state official told The Charleston Gazette that it's better if people stay off the roads.

"It's hazardous out there. It's definitely not over," state spokeswoman Leslie Fitzwater told the Gazette. "Stay in if you can, don't venture out. We need the roads open for first responders to get out there and do the work they need to do."

A significant winter storm continued in northeast Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains, where the National Weather Service forecast continuing snow showers over the higher elevations through Wednesday morning.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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