Five dead, travel snarled as winter storms lash Southeast and West

Five people have died and thousands were without power as a powerful winter storm continued to sweep across the U.S. and brought snow and ice to a swath of the Southeast, while the winter blast delayed flights in Philadelphia and New York City.

In the West, parts of northern California and Nevada were filling sandbags as an "atmospheric river" threatened to dump very heavy rains and cause flooding Sunday. More than half of California was under flash flood watches.

Vehicle crashes in Georgia and Kentucky on Saturday killed two people, a Maine man died in a Friday crash with a snowplow and a third person died in a Kentucky crash on Thursday, officials said. A tree felled by high winds in Oregon fell on an 8-year-old on Tuesday, killing her.

In Connecticut, a stretch of a major highway was closed for hours Saturday after a 21-car pileup and other crashes, state police said. No serious injuries were reported.

The ice and freezing overnight temperatures prompted evoked memories of past winter storms in the South, like one in 2014 that stranded thousands of drivers on paralyzed interstates around Atlanta and elsewhere.

"If I tell you anything it would be stay home," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Saturday. "Do not go out and drive on the roads unless you absolutely have to."

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The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a temporary ground stop at Philadelphia's airport Saturday due to ice and snow, and major delays were reported at New York City-area airports.

A little more than 5 ½ inches of snow was recorded at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport and LaGuardia saw just over 4 ½ inches of snow by Saturday evening, the National Weather Service said.

It was treacherous travel in North Carolina, with the state Highway Patrol reporting 260 wrecks during the storm. In the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area there were 46 crashes with injuries from 10 p.m. Friday into around noon Saturday, EMS said.

Across the state more than 9,000 customers were without power as of Saturday afternoon, down from 16,000, the state Department of Public Safety said.

In Virginia, state troopers responded to 527 crashes and helped 686 stuck drivers by Saturday evening. "Give 'em a rest. Stay home!" Virginia State Police said in a Twitter message to drivers.

Boston's mayor warned earlier Saturday of up to a foot of snow; by just after 8 p.m. nearly 6 inches was recorded in the northeast section of the city, the weather service said, although the city of Weymouth to the southeast did reach a foot by then.

"It does wrap up as we go into Sunday, but leaves behind bitterly cold air" according to Weather Channel meteorologist Danielle Banks.

Low temperatures of 5 to 10 degrees — and with a wind chill near zero — had been forecast for Richmond, Virginia, overnight.

Lows of 15 degrees were forecast for New York City on Sunday; a low of 14 degrees were forecast for Philadelphia; and 15 degree low was eyed for Washington, D.C. In Raleigh, North Carolina, a high of 27 degrees during the day and a low of just 2 degrees at night was forecast.

Out West, another storm prompted winter storm warnings and advisories for a swath from eastern Washington and much of Oregon to Idaho, northern Nevada and northwestern Utah.

Reno, Nevada, prepared for floods and state of emergency were declared in Washoe, Douglas, Storey and Lyon counties, NBC affiliate KRNV reported.

Yosemite National Park closed access to Yosemite Valley in anticipation of expected flooding of the Merced River Sunday. The Generals Highway into Sequoia National Park was closed due to rock slides and flooding, cutting off access to the big trees.

A forecast of dangerous snow and ice in Oregon prompted a home Portland Trailblazers basketball game and a University of Portland men's college basketball game against Gonzaga to be postponed.

More than 100 flights into or out of Portland's airport Sunday were canceled, the airport said Saturday night. In Eugene in southern Oregon, 4 1/2 inches of snow fell Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

In California's Bay Area, residents were hunkering down for expected heavy rains forecast for Sunday. Flash flood watches were in place for the San Francisco and Montery Bay region through Sunday night and officials set up sand bag locations.

"We're giving them a shovel and the sand and showing them how to fill them up,'' Jason Hoppin, a Santa Cruz County spokesman, told NBC Bay Area. "We haven't seen rain like this in a long time.''