US weather: ‘Danger to life’ warning as Midwest braces for powerful storm and flooding

High temperatures to give way to heavy snow and life-threatening conditions

The US Midwest will be hit with blizzards and gale-force winds this week, forecasters have said, as a powerful storm threatens to trigger more flooding in the region.

High spring temperatures are today expected to give way to heavy snow and life-threatening conditions across a swath of the central US.

Patrick Burke, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service (NWS), warned that the storm could cause widespread power outages and road closures.

“This is potentially a life-threatening storm,” he told Reuters. “It’s slow moving. It won’t push farther east until Friday.”

The storm has already sparked flood evacuations in Oregon and caused flooding in Washington state.

Some areas of western Minnesota and southeast South Dakota are likely to experience up to 30 inches snow.

The same region is still recovering from last month’s ‘bomb cyclone’ which brought deadly flooding and blizzards, causing billions of dollars in damage.

The NWS said that the coming storm is likely to exacerbate flooding along the Missouri River in areas where dozens of levees were breached in March.

The storm is expected to weaken and push off into the Great Lakes area and northern Michigan on Friday, bringing more rain and snow, forecasters said.

Additional reporting by agencies