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A powerful storm toppled power lines and made roads impassable across parts of the Midwest while another system forming Thursday − the first day of spring − was forecast to dump snow on parts of the Northeast by week's end, forecasters said.

The storms rocking the nation come just days after a huge system slammed across the country, killing more than 40 people.

The Kansas Department of Transportation shut down almost 250 miles of I-70 from Salina to the Colorado border for several hours at the height of the storm that brought high winds and blizzard conditions Thursday. In Iowa, the Department of Transportation closed a 70-mile stretch of I-29 from Sergeant Bluff to Missouri Valley. In Nebraska, I-80 was closed from Omaha to the Wyoming State line.

As the snow eased and major highways reopened, strong winds and travel warnings remained.




"The snow may be stopping, but the winds are still blowing and many roadways are snowpacked," the Nebraska State Patrol warned.

Developments:

∎ A winter storm warning was issued for Oregon Cascade mountain roads where up to 3 feet of snow was forecast to fall by Saturday.

∎ Oklahoma and parts of several other states were in the wildfire danger zone. A "very high fire danger" was forecast Thursday as wind gusts were expected to reach 25-30 mph and humidity falls to 20-25%.

East facing more wild weather

The storm taking shape in the East will bring 1-6 inches of snow on the Green Mountains of Vermont, the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Adirondacks and Catskills in New York state Thursday night to Friday, Accuweather said.

A secondary storm forming farther south will set off severe thunderstorms from the coastal Carolinas to part of the Mid-Atlantic on Thursday, AccuWeather said.

Forecaters were also monitoring the track and intensity of a storm for Monday that is likely to bring snow and a wintry mix to parts of the Northeast.