By Ken Miller and Stefanie Dazio - The Associated Press
A powerful system of tornadoes and strong winds left at least 10 dead in the south and midwest of the country, where a million people remained without power, while the northeast expected heavy rain and snowfall.
Three people were killed by falling trees in Alabama, where severe weather swept the state.
In Mississippi, a woman died inside her SUV after a rotting branch struck her vehicle, and in Arkansas a man drowned after he plunged into a flooded area.
Two other people died in Tennessee when a tree fell on them, according to the local press.
More than a million users are without electricity in four states due to snowfall
March 4, 202300:25
Kentucky also recorded three weather-related deaths in three different counties from storms with high winds that moved through the state.
Governor Andy Beshear had declared a state of emergency prior to the storm's passage.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg followed suit late Friday due to heavy storms and widespread damage.
“I encourage everyone in our community to exercise caution tonight and in the days to come: Do not drive through standing water, go near downed power lines, or do anything that could endanger anyone's life,” Greenberg said. in a message posted on his account on the social network Facebook.
[Texas supermarket collapses from high winds]
The Louisville National Weather Service called Friday's storm "powerful and historic," with maximum wind gusts of between 60 and 80 miles per hour (96 and 128 kilometers per hour).
More than a million customers in Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan lost power Friday night, according to the website poweroutage.us.
The storm swept through the Detroit, Michigan area Friday afternoon, blanketing streets and highways in a blanket of snow.
The weather service noted that some areas could be affected by blizzards and snowfall of 3 inches (8 centimeters) per hour.
Detroit Metropolitan Airport closed Friday night due to rapidly deteriorating weather conditions.
A historic snowfall forces the closure of Yosemite National Park in California
March 4, 202300:27
Detroit-based DTE Energy reported that more than 130,000 customers were without power overnight, a problem adding to the 600,000 homes and businesses that were without power last week due to ice storms.
The storm system is moving into New England, where a mix of snow, sleet and rain is expected Friday night and into Saturday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a winter storm warning.
There is a possibility of coastal flooding in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The storm could bring up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) of snow to parts of New Hampshire and Maine, as well as strong winds that could cause power outages.
[Many Latinos affected by severe weather in Texas]
Portland (Maine) airport authorities canceled several flights for Saturday in anticipation of the storm, and some libraries and businesses in the region announced closures over the weekend.
The same was not true in California, where the weather system hit the state earlier in the week with 10 feet (three meters of snow).
Some residents in the mountains east of Los Angeles are likely to remain stranded in their homes for at least another week as snowplows don't work.