SACRAMENTO, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- As one major storm cleared out of the United States and moved into Canada, another snow event was percolating over the Sierra Nevadas, forecasters said Friday.
The Sierra Nevada storm should last several days, eventually moving east across the nation, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. The Sierras got more than 3 feet of snow in the last few days.
Officials in several states reported deaths from the storm that created blizzard conditions over much of the nation's midsection earlier this week.
Utility crews in El Dorado County, Calif., near Lake Tahoe, have been working this week to restore power to residents who have been without since Sunday, KXTV, Sacramento, Calif., reported. The county received more than 30 inches of snow.
Most of the nation braced for another day of low temperatures Friday, the National Weather Service said.
"Almost the entire Lower 48 is below normal as far as temperatures. In some cases, 20, 30 degrees," CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano said.
Western Michigan and the state's Upper Peninsula were under lake-effect snow warnings and advisories, NWS said.
Wind gusts created near whiteout conditions, as well as tossed snow around, making clearing the white stuff difficult. Gusts reached 50 mph in Omaha, 58 mph in Fort Wayne, Ind; and 60 mph in Toledo, Ohio.
In northern Arizona, deep snow socked in dozens of elk hunters, officials said. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office said it helped or offered assistance to about 50 hunters Wednesday and Thursday.
