Up to 4 feet of snow in parts of California; flash flooding and severe thunderstorm risk in South: Weather updates

Many California and Oregon residents were again seeing rain, snow and strong winds Tuesday, as yet another winter storm slammed into the already saturated states.

Up to 4 feet of snow was possible Tuesday in some parts of northern California, along with winds of up to 65 mph.

As of midday Tuesday, strong winds from the storm had already knocked out power to about 35,000 customers in California and another 7,000 in Oregon, according to poweroutage.us.

And the storm isn’t expected to dissipate after hitting the Golden State. It is also expected to bring severe weather across the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley by Thursday and especially Friday, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

In parts of the South, rain was continuing Tuesday, bringing downpours from Louisiana to the Carolinas. The area is recovering from a flurry of tornadoes that hit the Mississippi Delta region in recent days, leaving more than 20 people dead.

Here’s what you need to know.

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Line of heavy showers, thunderstorms moves toward North Coast

Along the coast of Oregon and Northern California, a line of heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms is expected to bring "locally heavy downpours" and gusty winds Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service in Eureka, California.

The weather service warned that the thunderstorms could cause small hail and cloud-to-ground lightning strikes.

Parts of the Bay Area were already under flood advisories Tuesday with wind gusts up to 55 mph forecast, according to the weather service.

Storm barrels into California, Oregon

Winter storm conditions stretched from central California through Oregon on Tuesday, with snowfall accumulations expected to reach up to 4 feet in some areas.

"Extreme winter storm impacts are expected in the Sierra Nevada Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday evening due to blowing snow, snow load, and snow amounts up to 4 feet," the National Weather Service in Hanford, California, said. "Travel is not advised."

A winter storm warning was in effect into Wednesday morning in parts of northern California. Snow accumulations of 1 to 3 feet were possible in the Mount Shasta area, with some places reaching up to 4 feet and winds gusting up to 65 mph.

Up to 4 feet of snow was also expected in western Plumas County and the surrounding areas, with a winter storm warning extending to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Travel in the area could be “impossible,” the weather service in Sacramento warned, with strong winds expected to cause tree damage.

If people must travel, they should keep an extra flashlight, food and water in their vehicles, officials said.

The California Highway Patrol in Truckee, California, announced closures for parts of Interstate 80 near Nevada due to multiple spin-outs on Tuesday amid heavy snowfall.

More wet weather forecast in South

The dangerous flash flooding that hit parts of the southern and central U.S. last week and into the weekend hasn’t completely let up, with the wet pattern continuing on Tuesday, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

Downpours, with possibilities of flash flooding and severe thunderstorms, extended from Louisiana to the Carolina coasts through Tuesday, reaching as far south as Florida.

Rainfall totals of more than 2 inches were expected in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina through Tuesday night.

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Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers, Jordan Mendoza; USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US storms: Up to 4 feet of snow in California; flooding risk in South