NEW YORK, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Better weather started to arrive for the eastern and middle United States Christmas Day while the West faced an intensifying winter storm.
Christmas dawned white in the Northwest and the Rockies, but the East and the Midwest enjoyed a respite from the nasty weather that contributed to messy travel conditions Christmas Eve, AccuWeather.com reported Thursday.
A strong Pacific winter storm was headed for the Rockies Thursday night and the Plains Friday. Snowfall of 12 to 24 inches fell on California's Sierra Nevada and a similar amount was expected in Utah and the Colorado Rockies late Thursday into Friday morning.
The snowfall could be accompanied by strong winds causing white-out conditions continuing into Friday.
A state of emergency was in effect in Washington state, where snow was giving way to rain and the threat of urban flooding.
Parts of the Midwest were likely to get black ice Christmas night but lake effect snow in the Great Lakes region was expected to abate Thursday night.
Temperatures in the southern and central Plains were expected to be about 10 degrees above normal, with possible record-breaking warmth -- as high as the 60s -- expected in the Ohio Valley and the Washington-Baltimore area through Saturday.
Emergency officials in Washington state asked able-bodied residents to help clear storm drains to relieve the chance of flooding.
Housing officials urged people to clear their flat-roofed homes, garages and commercial buildings, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
"But I don't think we'll see wholesale collapses of apartment buildings or anything unless we get an unbelievable amount of water," Snohomish County home inspector Darrell Hay said.
Boat owners were warned to watch for possible sinking as rain poured down on accumulated snow. Ecology spill responder Zach Gaston urged people to sweep off the snow since "we're seeing many boats, covered in snow, riding low in the water."
As much as 30 inches of snow fell in the state in recent days and another foot was expected in eastern Washington during the weekend, the Seattle Times reported. Gov. Christine Gregoire declared a state of emergency to make National Guard troops available if they're needed.
