Massive winter storm that brought rare snow to parts of California now moving east

Dangerous winter storm batters California
Extreme weather caused flooding and washed-out roads, knocking out power to thousands of residents.

The massive winter storm that brought rare snowfall to parts of California is threatening to do the same on the East Coast as it moves furiously across the country.

Southern California will finally get a reprieve on Sunday from the intense rain and snow. The major storm system is now bringing damaging thunderstorms to the Great Plains.

More than 80 million Americans are currently under alert for wind or winter weather.

Western Oklahoma will see the bulk of the severe weather on Sunday, with wind gusts of 80 mph to 110 mph possible. Northern Texas and southeastern Kansas will experience storms with damaging winds, large hail and scattered tornadoes, forecasts show.

The line of storms will initiate in the Texas Panhandle during the late afternoon on Sunday before continuing with a damaging wind threat through the overnight hours in parts of Missouri.
 

By Sunday night, the Midwest will also be experiencing pouring rain that changes to a wintry mix by Monday morning, making for a challenging commute for those in the Chicago region.

The storm system is then expected to slingshot eastward after lingering on the West Coast and dumping several inches of rain and snow to some regions.

MORE: California braces for dangerous flooding as massive storm moves in

In the Great Lakes region, snow is expected in Wisconsin, Michigan and the Northeast. Hundreds of thousands of customers in Michigan are already without power. Utility companies DTE Energy and Consumers Energy said power would be restored before the upcoming storm hit.

On Monday evening and into Tuesday, a period of snow and wintry mix will likely bring accumulations to cities along the I-95 corridor.
 

The snow deficit in cities like New York City, New Haven, Connecticut, Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston will likely chip away with several inches of snow and slush expected from this storm system. Tuesday morning could be a messy commute across the Northeast.

A rare blizzard warning was issued for Southern California, bringing several feet of snow to the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains. A dusting of snow even reached the Hollywood Hills and the hills around San Francisco.

At one point over the weekend, snow was falling at rates of 2.5 inches per hourin places like Lake Arrowhead, California. In the mountains outside of Los Angeles, anywhere from 2 to 6 feet of snow have fallen since Wednesday.

On Saturday, more than 126,000 customers were without power in California. More than 2,500 flights were canceled last week in anticipation of the storm.
 

Another storm system is also moving on shore in Northern California later on Sunday, bringing more gusty winds and incredible amounts of mountain snow.

Winter alerts are in effect on the West Coast from Seattle to Sacramento as the weather moves in. The Sierra Nevada mountain range will see between 3 and 7 feet of snow.

Others parts of California will see more waves of rain and snow moving onshore on Monday morning.