Winter storms sowed more chaos across the U.S. on Thursday, shutting down much of Portland after the city experienced its second snowiest day in history and paralyzing travel from parts of the Pacific Coast all the way to the northern Plains.
The nearly 11 inches of snow that fell in Portland stalled traffic during the Wednesday evening rush hour and trapped drivers on freeways. Some spent the night in their vehicles or abandoned them altogether as crews struggled to clear roads.
Snow was also expected over some lower foothills and valley areas near the Pacific Coast, the weather service said, "given the depth of cold air that has infiltrated the West." Rescuers tried to reach stranded motorists, but high winds and drifting snow created a "near-impossible situation," said Sgt. Jeremy Beck of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
A blizzard warning was in effect through Saturday in California for higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, where forecasters predicted several feet of snow, 60 mph gusts and wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees . As of Thursday morning, more than 681,000 customers were without power in Michigan; over 84,000 in Illinois; over 58,000 in Wisconsin; about 42,000 in California and about 32,000 in New York state, according to the website PowerOutage.us.
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