Nationwide, a ‘ruthless’ winter makes dreary weather inescapable

Landslides along the Pacific, ice in the central time zone and snowstorms in the East made for a dreary weekend across the entire country.

Some form of precipitation was forecast during at least some of the weekend in 23 of the country’s 25 most populous counties. About the the only exception to the wet weather: Florida. But even Floridians have overcast skies this weekend and thunderstorms around the corner.

Two major eastbound storm fronts are behind the weather. The one that pummeled the drought-stricken Southwest with rain on Saturday is expected produce chilly weather from the southern Plains to the mid-Atlantic states as it races eastward the next couple of days.

“The timing might be unusual,” National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Korte said of the gray weekend. “But it does happen; wintry conditions across a wide swath of the country is not unusual.”

Of the storm soon departing California, he said, “It’s going to end up being an impressive March system.”

Young kids play hockey on ice adjacent to the main rink before an NHL Stadium Series hockey game at Soldier Field between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Chicago.

(Charles Rex Arbogast / AP)

Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press

As much as half a foot of snow was expected in Chicago by Sunday as part of what the National Weather Service described as “a ruthless supply of frigid temperatures.”

The third snowiest winter since 1871 for Chicago made the perfect setting for the National Hockey League’s fifth of six outdoor games scheduled this season. The Chicago Blackhawks  and Pittsburgh Penguins tipped off at Soldier Field at 7:15 p.m. Saturday with an inch of snow on the ground, a Weather Channel reporter told the NBC television audience.

Ice forms on a water fountain as a light snow falls in Richardson, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014. The National Weather Service recorded light snow Thursday in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Abilene, Midland-Odessa, San Angelo and Lubbock. (AP Photo/LM Otero) ** Usable by LA and DC Only **

(LM Otero / AP)

LM Otero / Associated Press

In Texas, Houston was watching out for possibly severe thunderstorms while Dallas was on guard for a “a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet,” according to the National Weather Service.

The average low temperature for the December-Feburary winter season in Dallas registered as the 11th-coldest on record, the agency said Friday. (The photo above shows how the weather affected Richardson, in northeast Texas, in early February.) Dallas’ airport saw freezing temperatures 51 times during the last three months, a figure that hasn’t been reached since 1984.

Camelback Ranch grounds crew remove the tarp from the playing field after the Chicago White Sox-Cleveland Indians exhibition baseball game was postponed due to rain in Glendale, Ariz., Saturday, March 1, 2014. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) ** Usable by LA and DC Only **

(Paul Sancya / AP)

Paul Sancya / Associated Press

In Arizona, nearly an inch of rain fell in some areas by late afternoon Saturday. Two out of nine Major League Baseball spring training games scheduled Saturday had to be canceled, forcing teams to juggle the intricate training schedules they devise for their pitchers.  Parts of the region had endured more than two months without rainfall.

In the photo, Camelback Ranch grounds crew adjust the tarp on the playing field after the Chicago White Sox-Cleveland Indians game was canceled in Glendale, Ariz., on Saturday.

A sanitation truck plows Bleecker Street in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan February 13, 2014 in New York. Up to a foot (30 cm) of snow is expected in the New York area. As the storm moved north, the US National Weather Service warned that the “mammoth dome” of Arctic air would cut a wide swath of winter weather from Georgia to New England. The latest brutal freeze to hammer the eastern states of the country since the start of the year has been dubbed “snowmaggedon,” “mind-boggling” and “historic” by major television networks and forecasters. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDASTAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **

(STAN HONDA / AFP/Getty Images)

Stan Honda / Agence-France Presse

Authorities in New York announced Saturday they planned to have their salt spreaders and snow plows ready for Sunday's expected snowfall. Nearly a foot of snow might hit the region.

In the photo, a sanitation truck plows a street in the Greenwich Village in Manhattan on Feb. 13.

A “12th Man” flag, honoring Seattle Seahawks fans, is barely visible as it flutters atop the Space Needle in the rain Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, in Seattle. The Seahawks play the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) ** Usable by LA and DC Only **

(Elaine Thompson / AP)

Elaine Thompson / Associated Press

Seattle’s rainy weather was forecast to be nothing special. The city saw measurable rainfall for all but seven days in February. Mountainous regions in Washington awaited a fresh dousing of snow for the second straight weekend.

In the photo, a "12th Man" flag, honoring Seattle Seahawks fans, is barely visible as it flutters atop the Space Needle.

FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2014 file photo, a taxi cab is surrounded by water on a flooded street after a water main break flooded several blocks in Detroit. The relentless cycle of snow and bitter cold this winter is testing the skeletons of steel and cement on which communities are built. Pipes are bursting in towns that are not used to such things, and roads are turning into moonscapes of gaping potholes big enough to snap axles of passing vehicles. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File) ** Usable by LA and DC Only **

(Carlos Osorio / AP)

Carlos Osorio / Associated Press

The 7 feet of snow that's fallen in Detroit this winter ranks as the snowiest period on record since 1881, the Detroit Free Press reported. The weekend forecast didn't show any signs of letting that streak end.

In the photo taken Feb. 11, a taxi is surrounded by water on a flooded street after a water main break in Detroit. The relentless cycle of snow and bitter cold this winter is causing pipes to burst and turning roads into moonscapes of gaping potholes.

Pam Yeaple walks home along East Philadelphia Street after grocery shopping in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014. An inch of new snow had fallen by mid-day in much of eastern Pennsylvania on Saturday. Forecasters predicted 2 to 5 inches before evening. (AP Photo/York Daily Record, Jason Plotkin) ** Usable by LA and DC Only **

(Jason Plotkin / AP)

Jason Plotkin / Associated Press

Philadelphia was expected to escape snow until Monday, but the rain should start setting in Sunday evening, forecasters said. Boston’s weather is expected to be similar.

In the photo, a woman walks home along East Philadelphia Street after grocery shopping in York, Pa., on Feb. 15.

The wet weather is likely to prove inescapable even for vacationers who fled to Hawaii. Honolulu, the state’s capital, had “heavy” and “frequent” showers, up to half an inch, in Sunday’s forecast.

AZUSA, CA - MARCH 01, 2014: One of several home at Ridge View Dr. in Azusa that is badly effected by mudslides on Saturday morning. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times )

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

For Californians, this has been the rare winter weekend when they couldn't brag.

In addition to causing mudslide issues, the storm left thousands without power and caused traffic to back up because of accidents and flooding. About six inches of rain was expected in total for downtown Los Angeles.

The photo shows one of several homes on Ridge View Drive in Azusa that was hit by mudslides on Saturday morning.

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