By AccuWeather staff writer & AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Feb. 14, 2021 7:58 PM EST
The busiest winter weather pattern in decades brought a slew of impacts across a large swath of the United States over the holiday weekend. Massive power outages and slippery travel were reported from the West to the East Coast on Saturday, as multiple storms unleashed snow and ice.
Power outages approached 1 million on Saturday while winter storms turned off the power for more than 800,000 customers across the U.S., according to PowerOutage.us.
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Oregon, Virginia and North Carolina, were among the hardest-hit states in terms of outages. As of midday on Saturday, more than 400,000 customers were without power as ice downed power lines in Virginia and North Carolina.
A path of snow extended from the westernmost parts of Washington and Oregon, down to New Mexico and Texas, all the way to Michigan.
Northwest
A major snowstorm broke out across Washington and Oregon early on Saturday, leaving up to two feet of snow in some places over the span of the weekend.
Snow piled up to 6 inches in downtown Seattle, Washington, early Saturday. Plows hit the roads as cars and busses struggled up steep hills on snowy, slippery roads.
Some places in Oregon, including Mount Hood and Zigzag, reported two feet of snow within the span of 24 hours on Saturday. By Sunday, much of the coast of the two states reported up to a foot, including Seattle.
Daily record snowfall totals were observed in both Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, on Saturday. Seattle recorded 8.9 inches of snow, which tied a record for the 12th snowiest day on record.
As of Sunday evening, 237,000 customers were without power in Oregon, according to poweroutage.us.
The city of Salem, Oregon, declared a state of emergency that began on Saturday and will remain in effect for seven days.
The southernmost parts of Wyoming also received snow in the double digits, even touching 50 inches at Sugar Loaf Campground.
South
While snow spread across the country, ice began to coat the roads in Nashville, Tennessee. The Nashville Fire Department sent multiple resources to assist with a multiple vehicle accident that were involved on I-24 on Saturday. Emergency responders asked for people to please avoid the area, or use extreme caution if travel is a must.
On Sunday, an accident between multiple semi trucks and passenger vehicles turned fiery on the Turner Turnpike westbound in Oklahoma. Traffic relating to the crash is being diverted to Hogback road, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol tweeted.
According to The Oklahoman, the crash involved two semi trucks and at least six vehicles. Several people were transported to a hospital.
The entire states of Oklahoma and Texas were under winter weather alerts on Saturday. A winter storm watch was issued in Brownsville, which is the first winter storm watch the town has seen in a decade.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the storm will be "unprecedented in Texas history," KWTX reported. He also said the Texas Department of Transportation is "working around the clock" to make sure any potential issues are addressed.
Winter storm alerts on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021.
Gov. Abbott issued a state of emergency across the entire state ahead of the arrival of the storm, and has requested a federal emergency declaration from the White House in order to make additional resources available for communities impacted by this weather event.
Some warned that rolling blackouts were possible in Texas, as the state braced for record electricity usage.
"Every part of the state will face freezing conditions over the coming days, and I urge all Texans to remain vigilant against the extremely harsh weather that is coming," said Governor Abbott.
Harris County, Texas, Judge Lina Hidalgo signed a disaster declaration for the entire county on Sunday to allow emergency officials "the flexibility to utilize every available resource to respond to this historic weather," Hildago said. Harris County, where Houston is located, is the third most populous county in the U.S.
Southwest
Las Vegas also received its fair share of severe weather. On Saturday, the National Weather Service reported that winds reached 73 mph at the airport in northern Las Vegas, just shy of category 1 hurricane-strength wind speeds.
The NWS warned people in the area to stay inside and for drivers moving through to remain on alert. A severe thunderstorm warning was also in effect for parts of the county.
NV Energy, an energy provider in Nevada, also reminded people to avoid downed power lines as they could be energized.
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