新闻动态
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Another storm system is affecting millions of people in the middle of the U.S., leaving parts of the Midwest and Great Plains under blizzard conditions and a broad swath of neighboring states at risk of high winds and wildfires.
Roughly 72 million people were under a wind advisory or warning Wednesday, with winds gusting over 45 mph (72 kph), according to Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Weather Prediction Center.
At this time of year, cold air lingering in the north collides with warm air coming in from the south to produce strong, low pressure systems, Jackson said. But Wednesdays weather is the third storm system to rapidly develop in recent weeks and bring high winds to a large swath of the U.S., a very active pattern since February, Jackson said.
At least 42 people died over the weekend when dynamic storms unleashed tornadoes, blinding dust and wildfires leaving behind uprooted trees and flattening hundreds of homes and businesses across eight U.S. states in the South and Midwest.
Snow for some
A band from southwestern Kansas up to central Wisconsin was expected to see as little as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow or as much as 1 foot (30 cm) Wednesday. Combined with high winds, forecasters warned of whiteout conditions.
The Kansas Department of Transportation closed more than 250 miles (402 kilometers) of Interstate 70 from the Colorado border east to Salina, Kansas, because of winter weather.
The first stretch to close 39 miles (62 km) between Goodland and Colby in western Kansas was also impacted by last weeks high winds. Eight people died after a dust storm resulted in a pileup of 71 cars and trucks.
Blizzard conditions early Wednesday led to near-zero visibility in south central Nebraska, the state patrol said in a Facebook post urging people to stay off the roads. More than 160 miles (257 km) of Interstate 80 cutting east from Lincoln west to Lexington was closed. By midday Wednesday, nearly 70 miles (113 km) of Interstate 29 running along the border between eastern Nebraska and western Iowa had closed. Stalled cars, jackknifed semi-trailers, crashes and downed power lines contributed to road closures throughout the area.
Power outages affected households and businesses as heavy snow and high winds knocked down tree branches and led schools to cancel classes. Roughly 50,000 customers in Nebraska were without power Wednesday, as were roughly 25,000 in western and northern Iowa.
The sudden storm left many in the region with weather whiplash, following a springlike Tuesday with temperatures in some parts reaching beyond 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius).
High winds and risk of fires
Where its not snowing, there are still very strong winds. Gusts combined with dry conditions from Texas and Oklahoma up through Arkansas and central Missouri bring the potential for wildfires.
Before plants are growing, Jackson said, theres a lot of dry fuel out there.
The fire threat ramped up Tuesday and persisted Wednesday in the region, with renewed risk in parts of Oklahoma still reeling from an outbreak of wildfires that started Friday. More than 400 homes were severely damaged or destroyed, and at least four people died due to the fires or high winds, including a person killed in a vehicle accident as a result of poor visibility due to dust or smoke, officials said.
The massive walls of dust that forced highway closures and resulted in power outages across New Mexico on Tuesday have blown through, but forecasters are warning that wind speeds will pick up and relative humidity levels will drop, making way for critical fire weather conditions on Thursday.
Fighting 50 mph wind gusts, crews worked Wednesday to build fire lines and mop up to keep one blaze near the small community of Mayhill from growing. The threats from two other fires elsewhere in the state had passed, forestry officials said.
Tornadoes possible
The potential for severe thunderstorms plagued central Illinois Wednesday afternoon with risks of hail, strong wind and tornadoes. Much of Illinois and Indiana were forecasted to be under slight risk, with lower risk further south through the Tennessee Valley.
Looking ahead and eastward
Jackson said the storm affecting much of the U.S. Wednesday will send a cold front across the eastern seaboard later Thursday, bringing a renewed low pressure system with the potential to dump heavier snowfall in higher elevation parts of New England.
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Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa. John Hanna contributed from Topeka, Kansas.
内布拉斯加州奥马哈（美联社）——另一场风暴系统正影响美国中部数百万人口，使中西部和大平原的部分地区陷入暴雪天气，并使周边多个州面临强风和野火的风险。
根据国家气象局天气预报中心的气象学家布莱恩·杰克逊（Bryan Jackson）的说法，周三大约有7200万人在大风预警或警告之下，阵风时速超过45英里（72公里）。
杰克逊表示，在这个时候，北方的冷空气与南方的暖空气相撞，形成强烈的低气压系统。但周三的天气是最近几周内第三个迅速发展的风暴系统，给美国大部分地区带来了强风，自二月以来便呈现出“非常活跃的态势”。
周末期间，至少有42人在飓风、致盲的尘暴和野火肆虐时丧生，这些风暴在南部和中西部的八个州留下了连根拔起的树木，并摧毁了数百座住宅和商业建筑。
有些地方下雪了
从美国堪萨斯州西南部到威斯康星州中部的一带地区预计周三将迎来少至2英寸（5厘米）或多至1英尺（30厘米）的降雪。与强风相结合，预报员警告将出现能见度极低的天气状况。
由于冬季天气影响，堪萨斯州交通部宣布关闭从科罗拉多边界至堪萨斯州萨利纳市以东的70号州际公路超过250英里（402公里）的路段。
上周的大风也对关闭堪萨斯州西部 Goodland 和 Colby 之间 39 英里（62 公里）的这段道路产生了影响。一场沙尘暴导致 71 辆汽车和卡车相撞，造成 8 人死亡。
周三早些时候的暴风雪导致内布拉斯加州中南部地区能见度接近零，该州警方在Facebook上发布公告，敦促民众不要上路。超过160英里（257公里）的80号州际公路从林肯市向西至莱克星顿的东段已经关闭。周三中午时分，沿内布拉斯加州东部与爱荷华州西部边界运行的29号州际公路近70英里（113公里）的路段也已关闭。由于停滞的汽车、半挂车侧翻、交通事故和倒下的电线，该地区多处道路被封闭。
由于暴风雪和强风导致树枝折断，许多家庭和企业受到影响，学校也因此停课。周三，内布拉斯加州大约有5万户家庭和企业停电，而西部的爱荷华州和北部的爱荷华州也有大约2万5千户停电。
在经历了周二如春天般温暖，部分地区气温超过华氏70度（摄氏21度）的天气后，突然的暴风雨给该地区带来了剧烈的天气变化。
强风和火灾风险
在不下雪的地方，风势仍然非常强劲。来自德克萨斯州和俄克拉荷马州，经由阿肯色州和密苏里州中部，强烈的阵风和干燥的天气条件可能导致野火的发生。
在植物生长之前，杰克逊说：“那里有很多干柴。”
周二，该地区的火灾威胁加剧并持续至周三，奥克拉荷马州部分地区因周五开始的野火爆发而再次面临风险。超过400户家庭被严重毁坏或被毁，至少四人因火灾或强风丧生，其中包括因尘土或烟雾导致的能见度差而在车祸中丧生的一人，官员表示。
周二，巨大的尘墙迫使新墨西哥州多条高速公路关闭，导致全州停电。然而，现在尘墙已经消散，但气象预报员警告称风速将加快，相对湿度将下降，为周四的极端火灾天气条件铺平道路。
周三，面对时速达50英里的阵风，工作人员努力修建防火线和进行扑灭工作，以防止位于梅希尔（Mayhill）小镇附近的一处火势蔓延。林业官员表示，该州其他地区的两处火势已经得到控制，不再构成威胁。
可能发生龙卷风
周三下午，伊利诺伊州中部遭遇了严重的雷暴天气，存在冰雹、强风和龙卷风的威胁。大部分伊利诺伊州和印第安纳州被预测为轻微风险地区，而更南部的田纳西河谷地区则被预测为较低风险。
向前望去，并向东眺望
杰克逊表示，周三影响美国大部分地区的暴风雨将在周四晚些时候横扫东海岸，并带来一个新的低压系统，该系统有可能在纽英格兰的高海拔地区引发更严重的降雪。
Fingerhut从艾奥瓦州的得梅因（Des Moines）报道，John Hanna则来自堪萨斯州的托皮卡（Topeka）进行报道。