Washington, December 15: A devastating US winter storm wreaked havoc on Wednesday, just hours after a tornado struck parts of the US states of Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. The blizzard damaged dozens of homes and businesses, delayed more than 1,000 flights, and canceled more than 100 flights. Power outages are a major issue due to the US winter storm, as around 15 million people in 12 states are under winter weather warnings or advisories.

The National Weather Service said conditions were "extremely bad" and the weather was not conducive to assessing the damage. There is no assessment of how many deaths have occurred in this US winter storm. US Winter Storm 2022 Live Streaming on FOX Weather: Catch Live News Updates on Tornadoes and Blizzard Ripping Across United States

US Winter Storm Warning Issued For These States:

On Wednesday, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, reported that the risk of severe weather continues across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida continue. Snow storm warnings have been issued from Montana to western Nebraska and Colorado. 

Severe storms are forecast along the Gulf coast, including in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Florida. There are also tornado warnings in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. US Winter Storm Brings Tornadoes, Blizzard-Like Conditions in Great Plains; Two Dead in Louisiana (Watch Video) 

The National Weather Service has said as much as two feet (61 centimetres) of snow is possible in some areas of western South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska. Officials have also added that winds of more than 50 mph (80 kph) at times will make it impossible to see outdoors in Nebraska.

Officials said that they expect the blizzard-like conditions to continue in the North and flooding with the potential of tornadoes in the South. It also threatened to cover parts of the East with ice and snow into Thursday.

The National Weather Service said that ice accumulation could down trees and power lines and cause power outages while making roadways hazardous urging motorists to stay home.

Experts believe that the US winter storm could affect residents in nearly every state as it’s a little larger than an average winter storm. Heavy snowfall combined with strong wind gusts will create low visibility and "treacherous" travel conditions, said experts adding that some parts of Utah could get one to two inches of snow per hour.

The US Winter storm that began last Friday is expected to continue through much of this week.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 15, 2022 12:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).