Warmer winter to bring powerful storms in parts of the US

Two back-to-back strong winter storms are expected to bring heavy snow, rain and powerful winds to several parts of the US this week, meteorologists say.

The severe weather advisories are partly due to record-high, early spring temperatures in the northeast of the country.

Parts of northern Arizona, New Mexico and southern Colorado are already under a winter storm warning.

The storms are projected to move west to east between Monday and Thursday.

The first storm began rapidly brewing on Monday over the central parts of the US, the National Weather Service (NWS) said, and will bring with it snow and strong winds of above 60mph (96 km/h).

As the storm moves eastward, it will lead to blizzard-like conditions in parts of the northern Plains and upper Great Lakes between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.

It will also bring possible thunderstorms in warmer regions, particularly around the southern Plains and lower Mississippi valley.

Parts of the Midwest, the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes are also expected to see rain on Tuesday. The storm is then expected to move into eastern Canada by Thursday.

The second storm will likely be much more stronger and disruptive over a long stretch of the Central states from Wednesday to Thursday, forecasters say.

It will also bring strong to severe thunderstorms across the mid-south, the NWS said, ranging from Cleveland, Ohio to Mobile, Alabama.

Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the NWS Weather Prediction Center, told the BBC that the thunderstorms are partly a result of higher-than-normal temperatures observed for mid-February in the region.

"One thing that's been notable, at least for the East Coast, and the Northeast particularly, is how warm this winter has been in general," Mr Taylor said.

He added that record high temperatures are expected this week in cities like Louisville, Kentucky, Portland, Maine, Boston and Hartford, Connecticut, reaching slightly above 60F (15C).

Mr Taylor said the powerful storm could lead to downed trees and power lines, and could obstruct travel in some areas. He advised people to keep an eye on their local forecasts to stay prepared.