After snow in Malibu, US braces for series of wintry storms in coming days

Days after a weather system brought snow conditions along stretches of the nation from Malibu, California, eastward for 1,500 miles, a new series of storms could lead to a wintry mess for much of the nation.

A storm tracking from the southern Plains to the Northeast will bring areas of heavy snow and ice from Kansas into the Great Lakes region Monday into Wednesday, the National Weather Service warned. Snow totals exceeding 1 foot are possible across parts of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa.

Some coronavirus testing centers in those last two states had to close early because of the snow. National Weather Service meteorologist Taylor Nicolaisen said the foot-plus of snow expected to fall between Lincoln, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa, represented the highest total for the area from a single storm in at least 15 years.

On Tuesday, parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York should see a mix of ice and snow.

In the Southeast, an upcoming storm will be a "quick hitter," Accuweather warned. The storm should unleash just enough rain and snow to disrupt travel and daily routines.

"A storm is expected to rapidly intensify as it heads off the Carolina coast Wednesday night into Thursday morning," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Erickson said.

Cold air will allow precipitation to fall as snow across portions of the middle Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys on Wednesday and then into the central and southern Appalachians by Wednesday night. Parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee will see light snow first. About 1-3 inches of snow with locally higher amounts could fall across parts of West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.

Snow in Malibu? Swath of U.S. braces for wintry weather.

The southern part of the storm will bring soaking rain from the Gulf Coast to the Carolinas. However, as colder air rushes into the strengthening storm, precipitation could become wintry in some places, Accuweather said.

On Saturday, days after temperatures in the 80s in Malibu, west of Los Angeles, a dusting of snow covered the area for the first time in 14 years. The California Highway Patrol received a report of multiple drivers who stopped and parked near the Malibu Canyon Tunnel to play in the snow, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Hail was also spotted across parts of Los Angeles and northwest of Oxnard, California, over the weekend, Accuweather reported.

The storm later pushed eastward, spilling into Arizona and delivering a first-time experience for Yuma resident Maria Mendez.

"Oh my God, I've never seen snow,'' she said. "This is my first time seeing snow, or touching it because in Arizona there's nothing but desert.''

Another more powerful storm is due to arrive in Northern California on Tuesday afternoon, prompting Cal Fire to issue evacuation orders Monday for parts of Santa Cruz County.

The strong weather system, known as an "atmospheric river,'' could dump several inches of rain in some mountain locations that were burned during the rash of fires in late summer and last week, raising the risk of debris flow in areas with burn scars.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winter storms: California got snow, now much of nation will get it