About 22 people have been hospitalized after a bus transporting more than 30 people crashed in Utah as a multi-day storm rips through the US as weather experts warn of tornados and blizzards.
The bus was traveling on the I-84 around Tremonton on Monday around 4am – about 73 miles north of Salt Lake City – when the driver lost control and it rolled off to its side.
Photos of the scene showed the empty bus sideways on a snow bed of about four to eight inches after the passengers were transferred to nearby hospitals. Two people were in critical condition.
The crash comes as a winter blaze is making its way through 14 states from California to Mississippi are on winter weather alerts as fears of blizzards, avalanches and tornados linger.
The crash comes as a winter blaze is making its way through 14 states from California to Mississippi are on winter weather alerts as fears of blizzards, avalanches and tornados linger
The storm’s pathway started in the Sierra Nevada where about 48 inches had fallen since early Monday. About 5 feet of snow was found in the Lake Tahoe area, according to The Weather Channel.
Warnings and watches remain in Southern California, where the storm first hit, as heavy rain caused localized flooding in greater Los Angeles and is expected to linger into Monday.
About 15 million people from the pacific west to Minnesota are under winter weather alert as the storm makes its way east.
Portions of the Rocky Mountain, including Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska will continue to see snow throughout Monday with some areas experiencing heavy snow and wind leading into Tuesday.
Forecasters predict that the storm will head east leading into the end of the week as it is expected to evolve ‘into a possible blizzard’ in the coming days.
Northeast Colorado, eastern Wyoming, western Nebraska, southeast Montana and western South Dakota have all received blizzard watch warnings as the storm extends from the pacific west into the upper Midwest.
The National Weather Service has warned with the system was forecast to sweep across the nation from Colorado to Minnesota bringing driving snow, high winds and freezing rain.
Heavy snow fell in the Sierra Nevada this weekend as a winter storm packed powerful winds
Maintenance workers are pictured hard at work clearing snow from lanes in the middle of the night in the Sierra Nevada
About 15 million people from the pacific west to Minnesota are under winter weather alert as the storm makes its way east
Snow is expected to spread into Wisconsin and northern Michigan on Tuesday leading into Wednesday.
Then, leading into Thursday, about a foot of snow and gusty winds are predicted to hit eastern Montana and Wyoming before slowly moving into North and South Dakota.
The storm will slowly fade into the East by Friday with snow and rain predicted from Illinois to New York.
As for the mid-west, a multi-day storm is in the forecast with fears of tornadoes and thunderstorms lingering.
Portions of Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma are expected to be hit with gusty winds, hail and tornadoes from Monday afternoon leading into Tuesday morning.
Forecasters say that severe thunderstorms are underway and can be damaging, including in Lousiana.
The storm will then head more south on Wednesday through New Orleans, Louisiana and Tallahassee, Florida. But forecasters predict the weather will be less severe with heavy rain and the possibility of tornados.
Areas in the Lower Mississippi River Valley will also see up to four inches of rain by Wednesday.
Then, leading into Thursday, about a foot of snow and gusty winds are predicted to hit eastern Montana and Wyoming before slowly moving into North and South Dakota
Southern California was the first to get hit with heavy rain as the storm progressed.
More than 7 inches of rain fell portions of the Golden State with the mountain ranges getting about five feet of snow.
The state’s first winter storm delayed more than 6,000 flights on Sunday, and canceled or delayed 1,300 on Monday morning, according to US Today.
The winter storm packed powerful winds that sent ski lift chairs swinging while downpours at lower elevations triggered flood watches on Sunday.
The National Weather Service used colorful language describing the storm as an atmospheric ‘bowling ball’ with large swaths of California expected to be affected.
The North East has already been hit by snow with dozens of flights out of Boston’s Logan airport canceled and airline passengers forced to sleep in cots in the terminals because all hotels in the area are booked.
Heavy snow fell in the Sierra Nevada as a winter storm packing powerful winds sent ski lift chairs swinging. Pictured, Heavenly Ski resort which saw the chairs blowing in the wind
