Storms roll across western USA by Frances Runnalls
A series of storms rolled across western USA on Tuesday, bringing high winds and snow from Washington State to northern Arizona. The snow forced the closure of a number of schools and offices, and caused chaos across a number of highways.
This type of storm is particularly unusual due to its widespread nature. It resulted from the combination of several storms which produced gusts of up to 70mph across the Midwest. One of the storms travelled up from California after dumping snow across the southern half of the state. It combined with a system originating from the Gulf of Alaska, and resulted in around 3 feet (35 inches) of snow falling across Colorado over the past two days.
The weather system dragged cold air across the Northern Plains, which led to midday temperatures dropping to -24C (-11F) in some parts of Montana. As the snow began to melt, an emergency declaration for the threat if flooding was made for the Navajo reservation in Arizona and Utah.
The worst may not be over as more storm systems are forecast to roll in from the west over the coming days.
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