Officials in California distributed sandbags, prepositioned rescue swimmers and told residents to have their go-bags ready as the state prepares for an atmospheric river that could bring heavy rain, winds and flooding Thursday to areas ravaged by wildfires.

Snow, sleet and freezing rain are expected to continue pummeling the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic states, while California readies for a storm that could flood areas ravaged by the recent wil

A storm is expected to bring significant rainfall to Southern California, which could lead to the elevated risk of flash flooding and mudslides in the burn scar areas from last month's wildfires.

Heavy snow and freezing rain caused hundreds of traffic crashes in Virginia and left tens of thousands of residents in the dark as the central Appalachians and parts of the mid-Atlantic states braced for heavy rains on Wednesday.