Winter storm brings snow to eastern US; travel delayed, schools closed: Live updates

More than 115 million residents from Iowa to New Jersey remained in the path of a winter storm that brought snow, freezing temperatures and unsafe travel conditions Friday afternoon.

The rain, snow, wind and bitterly cold temperatures have been blamed for at least 45 deaths in the U.S. over the past two weeks as a series of storms moved across the country.

Friday, meteorologists expect snowfall will continue to be in the light to moderate range, generally 2 to 4 inches, with some areas of the central Appalachians receiving more than 6 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Portions of the northern mid-Atlantic were forecast to receive amounts in the 4- to 6-inch range.

Already, as of mid-afternoon, 4-6 inches were reported on the ground from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, AccuWeather said.

"The dry, powdery nature of the snow and cold ground will lead to immediate accumulations on the roads so that soon after the storm begins, slippery conditions will develop," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said in a report.

Earlier, snow and ice coincided with the morning commute hours, snarling traffic, including in major cities such as Philadelphia, New York City, Washington. Hundreds of schools across the eastern United States moved to an online format or closed entirely.

Behind the storm is a surge of arctic air that will spread across most of the country by the weekend, unleashing subzero temperatures as far south as Missouri and Kansas by Saturday morning, the weather service said. Wind chill temperatures as low as minus 20 to minus 30 degrees will be common especially across the Plains and Midwest through Sunday morning.

But there is hope on the horizon: Next week looks to be significantly milder nearly coast-to-coast, meteorologists say.

In fact, about 90% of the nation should see normal to above-normal temperatures by the middle of next week, AccuWeather long-range meteorologist Paul Pastelok told USA TODAY.

Over 100,000 without power in Oregon

More than 100,000 utility customers were without power in Oregon on Friday after a series of deadly storms slammed the Pacific Northwest this week and left much of the region covered in ice.

More than 100,000 households had no power across the state, according to a database maintained by USA TODAY. Mass outages forced schools to close as many reported a loss of power. Some parts of the state have been without power for several days as temperatures overnight occasionally dropped into the low 30s.

“We lost power on Saturday, and we were told yesterday that it would be over two weeks before it’s back on,” said Jamie Kenworthy, a real estate broker in Jasper in Lane County, Oregon.

At least eight weather-related deaths have been reported in Oregon since late last week. Five people died of hypothermia, two were killed by falling trees and three people died after a power line fell onto a parked car in northeast Portland.

Just before midnight Thursday, Tina Kotek, the governor of Oregon, issued a state of emergency after several counties reported "power outages, lack of transportation, and an array of safety concerns."

Flights briefly grounded at Virginia airport; others delayed, canceled

A ground stop for departures was temporarily issued at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia, because of snow and ice Friday morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The ground stop was issued at 7:30 a.m. and was canceled an hour later.

Departing flights at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport were delayed by more than three hours Friday afternoon, the FAA said. Weather conditions may lead to ground stop and delays at other airports throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

More than 1,000 flights were canceled and delayed across the country, mostly at airports in the East, according to Flight Aware.

School closures abound amid latest winter storm

Schools throughout the country closed on Friday, citing dangerous weather conditions, especially icy roadways, which have contributed to more than a dozen weather-related deaths since last week.

Across Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, New York and New Jersey, entire school districts canceled classes as the latest winter storm dusts the Midwest and eastern U.S. in several inches of snow. Many of these same districts closed, delayed their start or moved to an e-learning format earlier this week.

On the West Coast, multiple school districts in Oregon closed for another day, including Portland Public Schools, as much of the region remains covered in ice.

Winter weather expected to affect travel

Snow is expected to impact travel Friday on Interstate 80, in addition to snarling traffic on local roads and state highways from the Midwest to the Northeast, according to AccuWeather.

Meteorologists said to expect de-icing operations at airports, including major hubs such as Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, New York City and Boston. Flight cancellations also could increase due to delayed crews and displaced planes.

California also will see heavy rainfall from Friday until next week, according to the National Weather Service.

The western U.S. should have above-average temperatures, except for the interior Pacific Northwest. The Northern Plains' arctic air will remain in this region, leading to dangerous icing conditions through the Columbia River Gorge on Friday.

The Washington Cascades also may see heavy snowfall due to an incoming storm, the National Weather Service said.

Falling iguanas in forecast for South Florida this weekend

With temperatures expected to dip into the low 40s in South Florida this weekend, authorities are warning residents in some areas that they may see what looks like iguanas falling from the sky.

Some of the brutal cold that's enveloped most of the nation could immobilize the reptiles and cause them to fall out of trees. The lizards start getting sluggish in temperatures below 50 degrees and are known to "freeze" when temperatures dip into the 30s and 40s, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

National Weather Service stations in Florida have issued unofficial "falling iguana" advisories before to warn residents of the threat of severe cold and advise that the lizards they might find on the ground are usually temporarily immobilized, not dead.

"Iguanas are cold blooded. They slow down or become immobile when temps drop into the 40s. They may fall from trees, but they are not dead," the weather service said.

US weather warnings and watches

National weather radar

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heavy winter snow storm forecast for Midwest and Northeast Friday