Winter storm Walda brought blizzard conditions to the Mountain West on Tuesday as parts of Colorado were affected by 20 inches of snow.
Denver International Airport canceled 300 flights and warned travelers to be ready for delays as planes were de-iced. About half of the cancellations were commuter flights, officials said. Many schools and public offices were also shut due to snowfall.
It was an altogether different story on the East Coast with sunshine and highs of 80F predicted throughout Tuesday.
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Big freeze: A plane prepares for takeoff during a winter storm that brought some snow and a fast plunge in temperature overnight to Denver International Airport
Clearing the way: Drew Stephens, right, shovels snow on the corner of Main and Seventh streets in Rapid City
Soak up the sun: People relax along the East River in lower Manhattan during warm weather on April 9
Chill out: New Yorkers take advantage of the warm weather by stretching out on the public benches along the East River
Picturesque: Cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin in Washington on Tuesday - a colder than normal March and chilly April delayed the beginning of the cherry blossom season in the nation's capital
Tuesday is predicted to be the calmest weather day this week across the Northeast region.
Around midday on Tuesday, it was 81F in Washington D.C. - the first time the capital has seen temperatures above 80 since October. New York City reported highs of 75F.
On the West Coast, winds as powerful as 70mph in California toppled trees and caused scattered power outages on Monday.
Forecasters warned that blinding dust storms would likely reduce visibility and cause dangerous driving conditions in the region again today.
Time out: A young woman reads on a bench in Washington Square Park as temperatures in New York City soar to 80F
Things are heating up: Crowds gather in Washington Square Park in downtown Manhattan
Spring has sprung: People walk under the cherry blossoms blooming on the edge of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.
Taking it easy: Cars drive carefully along the interstate in Colorado close to Johnston
Northern California was the first to feel the lashing blasts of the storm on Monday, which spread to the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.
At least a dozen trees came down in San Francisco, police officer John Tozzini told KGO-TV, which reported that more than 20,000 utility customers lost power in the region.
A swath of outages occurred across the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Frozen up: Ice coats a fallen tree on Tuesday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota as icicles hang from a bridge
Spring has sprung for Washington's iconic Cherry Blossom trees
Heatwave: People lounge in the sun on Manhattan's High Line park on Monday in New York City
Outdoorsy: Hyo Kim, left, and Bill Piehl practice rock climbing on Tuesday in Central Park
Whipping up a storm: Christian Ahn, 11, flies a kite on a southern Californian beach on Monday as strong winds raked across the state
Coast to coast: Today's weather map shows the varying conditions across the U.S. from blizzards to warm and sunny
Gusts topped 80mph in parts of Southern California. The blustery system was being fueled by a cold front.
Whitecaps flecked the Pacific Ocean along the California coast, where gale warnings and small craft advisories were posted. Recreational boaters were warned to stay in port.
Wind-driven swells slapped over the tops of breakwaters and turned waves into a churning froth under piers at points such as Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach on the Los Angeles County coast.
On the way: Rain and severe thunderstorms expected in the Midwest and Southern and Central Plains on Wednesday
Sporting chance: Pleasant weather allows siblings Alyssa and David Millen to get in baseball practice in Elma, New York on Monday (left) as baseball player Matt Schubert shovels snow away from the batting cage at his high school in Brainerd, Minnesota
The wind turned small wildfires into big problems in some areas, including a blaze in Fillmore about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles that burned two homes and forced the evacuation of 84 homes.
Blowing dust forced the closure of state Route 14 in the high desert Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles due to low visibility.
Officer Michael Farrell said motorists who stopped on the road were hit from behind by other cars, but no major injuries were reported.
All ablaze: Wildfires turned into big problems in some areas of California, including a blaze in Fillmore about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles that burned two homes
The power went out for more than 13,000 Southern Californians because of the winds and the weather.
The rush of air had an upside: California's main power grid manager, the Independent System Operator, reported that turbines spinning within the ISO grid produced a record of 4,196 megawatts Sunday. The previous record was 3,944 megawatts on March 3.
In Arizona, gusty winds produced by a cold front enveloped Phoenix in a dusty haze and closed 34 miles of Interstate 40 in the northern part of the state for several hours Monday.
At least four people were injured in a pileup when two semi-trucks jackknifed in a dust storm on I-10 in southern Arizona. The injuries were not life-threatening.
Prepared: Though the breakers helped prevent any structural damage in Redondo Beach (pictured), the wind was problematic in Arizona where it caused massive sandstorms
Bracing for impact: Palm trees took the brunt of the wind in Chandler, Arizona (left) while the chain reaction accident in Lancaster (right) caused no serious injuries except to the cars
Storm brewing: Tourists watch as the storm clouds form above South Mountain in Phoenix on Monday