by Millions of Americans remain under winter storm watch as a powerful winter storm drives northeast, leaving in its wake heavy snow, flash flooding, and severe thunderstorms.
The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings Wednesday as the storm moved across northwest Florida and southern Georgia.
The day comes after a tornado has ripped through Texas, causing major destruction along its path.
No deaths have been reported.
Dayton, Ohio broke a 108-year record for snowfall after logging 5 inches (12cm) of snow Wednesday, according to the NWS. The previous record of 4.9 inches was set in 1915.
Snowfall from Texas to Maine is expected to reach between 4 and 8 inches, according to NWS, while northern New England and surrounding areas could see 8 to 12 inches, which could cause dangerous travel conditions in the area.
More than 120,000 homes and businesses in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas were without power as of Wednesday night, according to PowerOutage.us. Chicago’s Midway International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport accounted for the majority of the nation’s flight cancellations.
Wednesday’s storms are a continuation of low pressure systems that developed off the Texas and Florida coasts that began to drift north, said NWS meteorologist Rachel Cobb.
“It’s drawing a lot of energy and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and that’s what started the storms yesterday,” Ms Cobb told the BBC.
“And now as it follows north and northeast, it meets cold air and we’re seeing heavy snow, one to two inches per hour.”
The biggest concerns are power outages from the Midwest to New England, he said, due to heavy snow and high winds.
Flash floods and thunderstorms remain a possibility in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama.
Meanwhile, residents of some parts of Texas are still clearing debris from the tornado that struck on Tuesday.
“In my 25 years here, this is probably the worst damage I’ve seen,” Pasadena, Texas, police chief Josh Bruegger told reporters.
In Pasadena, 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Houston, roads were blocked by uprooted poles and downed power lines and “several commercial trucks were overturned,” the Pasadena Police Department tweeted.
Emergency crews who have already started the process of restoring power and clearing debris are preparing for the next round of severe weather.
“For the next few days, we’ll have our hands full,” Bruegger said.
