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Despite the recent winter storm, Colorado, Utah and other Western states are severely lacking in mountain snow. Scientists are concerned about the water supply and wildfire risk.

"What's particularly exciting about finds like this is that we just so rarely have wood preserved for that long," the study's lead author told NBC News.

"It really just shows how long people have been making rock art in that part of the world," Adam Brumm, a professor of archaeology, said of the find in Indonesia. "It's a very long time."

Severe weather is expected to bring subzero temperatures the northern Plains as soon as Thursday, then reach the Mississippi Valley, the Northeast and the Ohio Valley by Sunday.