This is spring? Midwest digs out from blizzard; Northeast braces for snow

A powerful storm toppled power lines and made roads impassable across parts of the Midwest as another system forming Thursday − the first day of spring − was expected to dump snow on parts of the Northeast by week's end, forecasters warned.

The storms rocking the nation come just days after a huge system slammed across the country, killing more than 40 people. On Thursday, AccuWeather said "rounds of cold air and snow" will continue across the northern states, from the Plains to the Midwest and Northeast.

The Kansas Department of Transportation shut down almost 250 miles of I-70 from Salina to the Colorado border for several hours at the height of a storm that brought high winds and blizzard conditions. In Iowa, the Department of Transportation closed a 70-mile stretch of I-29 from Sergeant Bluff to Missouri Valley. In Nebraska, I-80 was closed from Omaha to the Wyoming state line.

As the snow eased and major highways reopened, strong winds and travel warnings remained.

"The snow may be stopping, but the winds are still blowing and many roadways are snowpacked," the Nebraska State Patrol said.

The National Weather Service warned that gusty winds and dry conditions will continue to fuel critical fire weather on Friday over parts of the central and southern Plains, Ozarks, and eastern Florida Peninsula. Another system was expected to impact the Northwest with heavy mountain snow and low-elevation rain Friday into Saturday.

Developments:

∎ A winter storm warning was issued for Oregon Cascade mountain roads where up to 3 feet of snow was forecast to fall by Saturday.

∎ Oklahoma and parts of several other states were in the wildfire danger zone. A "very high fire danger" was forecast Thursday as wind gusts were expected to reach 25-30 mph and humidity falls to 20-25%.

∎ Last weekend's enormous storm spun 100 tornadoes, confirmed by the National Weather Service. The agency is still conducting surveys.

More storms forecast over southern U.S.

AccuWeather meteorologists warned Thursday that severe weather is expected to threaten parts of the southern Plains and the Mississippi Valley over the weekend.

"While dry air will limit thunderstorm activity over the southern Plains on Friday, a front approaching from the Northwest late Saturday and Saturday night will likely pull in enough moisture from the Gulf to trigger thunderstorm development," according to AccuWeather.

Forecasters said thunderstorms could bring hail, torrential downpours, and strong winds to portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas. The severe weather threat will then expand into the Mississippi Valley on Saturday.

AccuWeather warned that some tornadoes may be possible due to the storms.

East facing more wild weather

The storm taking shape in the East will bring 1-6 inches of snow on the Green Mountains of Vermont, the White Mountains in New Hampshire, and the Adirondacks and Catskills in New York state Thursday night to Friday, Accuweather said.

A secondary storm forming farther south will set off severe thunderstorms from the coastal Carolinas to part of the Mid-Atlantic on Thursday, AccuWeather said.

Forecasters were also monitoring the track and intensity of a storm for Monday that is likely to bring snow and a wintry mix to parts of the Northeast.

Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY