A blustery winter storm dumped snow and ice across the West on Wednesday, making driving treacherous in the mountains from California to the Rockies and forcing residents and partygoers in some usually sun-soaked cities to bundle up for a frosty New Year’s.
Giddy residents in Southern California foothills snapped photos of snow-covered lawns as kids tossed snowballs. In suburban Phoenix, swimming pools and cactus-lined backyards were dusted with the white stuff.
Those planning to usher in 2015 along the Las Vegas Strip or watch floats in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., were bracing for near-freezing temperatures.
Ice and snow made roads and highways treacherous along the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma. More than 180 stranded motorists were rescued on mountain highways northeast of Los Angeles.
