EXTREME WEATHER BLANKETS MUCH OF U.S.
Powerful storms were disrupting life around the United States on Tuesday, closing schools, snarling traffic and cutting power across swaths of the Pacific Northwest, the Plains, the Midwest, the South and the East Coast.
At least three deaths were reported. An 81-year-old woman was killed when her mobile home in Houston County, Ala., was lifted off its foundation and rolled over several times, the county coroner said. One person was killed in Claremont, N.C., where a strong storm moved through a mobile home park, officials in Catawba County said. And in Clayton County, Ga., south of Atlanta, one person was killed when a tree fell on a car, police said.
Severe thunderstorms and apparent tornadoes ripped across the Florida Panhandle early Tuesday, downing power lines and trees and damaging buildings. The storm left some roadways impassable in Panama City, Fla., according to authorities, and spawned hail about the size of baseballs. There had been at least 10 reports of tornadoes in the South, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.
To the north, heavy rain hit the New York area late Tuesday, bringing with it the potential for flooding and damaging winds that were expected to stretch into this morning. Places that received heavy snowfall over the weekend will be particularly vulnerable to flooding.
The rainfall and flooding are forecast to stretch into southern Maine. Several school districts in the eastern United States either canceled classes or planned for early dismissals Tuesday.
In the High Plains through the Upper Midwest on Tuesday, blizzard conditions persisted, with potentially more on the way by the end of the week.
And a potent cold front continued to affect the Pacific Northwest, bringing several feet of heavy snow and blizzard conditions across the Cascades. Heavy snow will also continue to blanket the Northern Rockies.
More than 1,000 domestic and international flights in the United States were canceled on Tuesday as extreme weather pummeled the country from coast to coast. With more than 70 flights canceled, Chicago O'Hare International Airport had the most cancellations, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website.