Next major winter storm in the US set to blast 300 million with downpours, snow - The system brought heavy rain to wildfire-ravaged areas of Southern California after months without precipitation

Winter weather advisories or winter storm warnings were in place for seven states early Tuesday morning, with the National Weather Service forecasting up to 12 inches of snow for some parts of the country. Winter storms can cause power outages, while snow can interfere with travel and create dangerous driving conditions.

Weather Advisory is active through 5 p.m. Thursday for the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Wet Mountains, upper Rio Grande Valley and eastern San Juan Mountains, NWS forecasters said.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Several severe weather alerts will be taking effect as a strong winter storms system approaches Hawaii. The National Weather Service says a Flood Watch will be in effect for all main Hawaiian islands from Wednesday evening through Friday morning.

A winter storm watch was issued by the National Weather Service on Tuesday at 3:54 a.m. valid from 7 p.m. until Wednesday 6 p.m. for Oneida County.

A polar vortex is slated to sweep most of the continental US bringing winter storm warnings and a hazardous freeze to millions.

The nation's capital is expected to see mostly sunny skies with increasing winds over the next few days; gusts may hit 47 mph on January 29.

A winter weather advisory from the Weather Service at the same time predicts 3 to 7 inches of snow in Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Genesee, Orleans, Erie and Niagara counties, 4 to 8 inches of snow in Wayne and Cayuga counties and 5 to 9 inches of snow in Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and southern Erie counties.

The National Weather Service warns that a “potent winter storm system will bring a multi-faceted threat for significant weather hazards” to all Hawaiian islands starting Wednesday night.

The new weather system could bring misery for travelers as it serves up ice, rain, and snow to millions of Americans in Southern states.

An unusually strong low-pressure system will pass north of the state Wednesday night, bringing the threat of heavy rain, damaging winds, and thunderstorms.