A winter storm has brought a deluge of rain and snow to Southern California, and those wintry conditions are expected to crawl across the central Plains and upper Midwest over the weekend.

Snow has shut down the vital Interstate 5 in Tejon Pass through the mountains north of Los Angeles and dozens of miles of Interstate 15 from Baker, California, to Primm, Nevada. A trucker found in a rig stopped on Tejon Pass was pronounced dead. It was not known if the death was weather-related.

Authorities say a woman passenger was killed Thursday when a car skated off a snowy road in San Diego County. Officials also say a small tornado hopped across Ventura Harbor on Wednesday night. Damage was minor.

Winter storm watches are posted in eastern Colorado, eastern Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska.

Forecasters say snowfall totals could reach 18-inches across the Dakotas, and northern Minnesota through Monday.

They say the storm could cause headaches for holiday travelers especially in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and San Francisco.