US winter storms knock out power, threaten flooding

STORY: A winter storm bringing snow, ice and high winds to parts of the U.S. Midwest and Pacific Northwest knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses on Saturday.

A brutal freeze is expected to grip numerous states.

The National Weather Service said the storm will bring blizzard conditions to the Midwest, while dangerous and frigid temperatures are expected across the Rockies and Plains.

In Iowa, residents began to clear roads in sub-zero temperatures on Saturday after a blizzard dumped as much as 15 inches of snow across the state as it gears up for Monday's caucus, the first of the state-by-state contests in which parties pick their nominees for November's presidential election.

Republican presidential candidates canceled some events ahead of Monday, which is expected to have a low of minus 18 F (minus 28 C) in the state capital Des Moines.

On the East Coast, millions were under the threat of flooding from days of heavy rain and snow.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Saturday said storms continue to cause flight cancelations and delays.

Airlines delayed more than 7,600 flights across the U.S. on Friday.

Some 150,000 homes and businesses were without power in Michigan, according to data from PowerOutage.US.

Power was out for another 200,000-plus customers in Oregon and Wisconsin.