昨天，南加州50至71英里每小时的阵风、干燥和温暖的风帮助干燥了植被，并蔓延了文图拉县爆发的几起灌木丛火灾，但谢天谢地，火灾的向前蔓延昨晚被阻止了。
这些温暖的风将气温推至接近纪录的水平，加州圣巴巴拉的气温也创下了80度的纪录。
周三，随着风力稍有减弱，加州的火灾危险有所改善。
注意力现在转向新的暴风雨该系统预计将在大雪、雷暴和暴雨中穿越全国。
这场风暴将于周三晚些时候进入落基山脉南部和西南部，周四将有雨雪蔓延到该地区。
新墨西哥州已经发布了冬季风暴警报，一些地区可能会有一英尺厚的雪。
到周五，风暴系统将会加强，并进入平原，从科罗拉多州到伊利诺伊州北部、威斯康星州和密歇根州都有大雪，南部预计会有暴雨和雷暴。
周六，冷空气将进入风暴系统，将雨变成雪，即使是在芝加哥。
现在说芝加哥预计会有多少雪还为时过早，但伊利诺伊州北部、威斯康星州南部和密歇根州中部的一些地方可能会有超过半英尺的雪。
以下是降雪总量，最大的降雪将在新墨西哥州、科罗拉多州和密歇根州，当地可能会有一英尺的降雪。
Fires in California as new storm moves across US with heavy snow and thunderstorms
Gusty, dry and warm winds yesterday of 50 to 71 mph in Southern California helped to dry the vegetation and spread several brush fires that flared up in Ventura County but, thankfully the forward spread of fires was stopped last night.
These warm winds pushed temperatures to near records and Santa Barbara, California, tied a record at 80 degrees.
On Wednesday, fire danger improves in California as winds relax a bit.
Attention now turns to a newstormsystem that is expected to move across the country with heavy snow, thunderstorms and heavy rain.
The storm will enter the southern Rockies and the Southwest later Wednesday into Thursday with snow and rain spreading into the region.
A winter storm watch has been posted for New Mexico where some areas could see up to a foot of snow.
By Friday, the storm system will intensify and move into the Plains with heavy snow from Colorado to northern Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan and, to the south, heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected.
On Saturday, the cold air will wrap into the storm system changing rain to snow, even in Chicago.
At this point it is too early to say how much snow is expected in Chicago but some places in northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and central Michigan could see more than a half a foot of snow.
Here are those snowfall totals, the heaviest snow will be in New Mexico, Colorado and Michigan where locally up to a foot of snow is possible.
