California continues to be pummeled by severe weather, with parts of the state covered in snow Thursday as the Southern Plains and other areas face the threat of «intense and long-lived» tornadoes, forecasters said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday to support disaster relief and response in counties hardest hit by severe weather.

Newsom also activated the State Operations Center to provide state support for county-led emergency response efforts and to coordinate mutual aid from neighboring jurisdictions, especially in San Bernardino County, where efforts were underway to remove more snow plows and road crews to the streets. he told his office in a press release. Efforts included getting more snow plows and road crews

«The state is also contracting with private companies to speed up snow removal and clearing roads, and coordinating with investor-owned utilities to quickly restore power,» the statement said. At least two shelters for San Bernardino County residents were also expected to open, he said.

Heavy snowfall in the Golden State prompted a closure of Joshua Tree National Park, with officials citing «inclement weather» in a tweet on Wednesday. «The rangers are working to reopen as soon as possible!» they said.

Severe weather had already caused California’s Yosemite National Park to close last week until Wednesday. However, on Wednesday, the park saying would remain closed amid a new snowfall, saying there was «no estimated date for reopening.»

Power outages also continued to affect parts of the state, with more than 70,400 utility customers without power as of Thursday morning, according to the online outage tracker. poweroutage.us.

Meanwhile, a «severe weather outbreak» was expected in parts of the southern Plains and in areas of Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.