Severe weather conditions hit the east and west coasts of the United States

Severe weather gripped the east and west coasts of the United States as heavy rain and snow wreaked havoc in the northeast of the country on Tuesday.

New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency to free up additional resources, as a powerful coastal storm called “nor’easter” moved through the region and into New England.

More than 15 million people on the Atlantic North Coast were under winter storm warnings, with the National Weather Service warning of widespread minor coastal flooding and tree damage.

Rainfall and high winds knocked out power to more than 260,000 homes in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont by Tuesday afternoon, according to the PowerOutage.us website.

The Berkshires in northwestern Massachusetts recorded the heaviest snowfall with records of 71 centimeters in the city of Windsor.

Local police have urged residents to stay indoors and away from the roads.

Nearly 300 flights were canceled Tuesday at Logan International Airport in Boston while more than 250 were canceled at LaGuardia Airport in New York, according to FlightAware.

Meanwhile, across the country, California continues to be hit with heavy rain, with flood watches and warnings in place.

The hardest hit areas are expected to be the central coast and inland towards the Sierra Nevada mountain range, where more snow is expected to add to an already exceptional snowpack.

Forecasters said conditions in the mountains were “very dangerous” with a high risk of avalanches.

A parade of storms hit California this winter, causing damage estimated in the billions of dollars by washing away communities, bringing down power lines and causing landslides.