A large storm system hit the Northeast on Friday, bringing heavy snow and coastal flooding. The storm caused at least 10 deaths in the South and Midwest, including three in Alabama from falling trees, a woman in Mississippi who died after a rotted tree branch hit her SUV, and a man in Arkansas who drowned after driving into floodwaters.
Kentucky reported four weather-related deaths, and the governor declared a state of emergency. More than a million utility customers in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Michigan lost power. The storm turned towards New England, bringing a mix of snow, sleet, and rain and prompting a winter storm warning.
California was hit earlier in the week with as much as 10 feet of snow. Some residents in mountains east of Los Angeles will likely remain stranded in their homes for at least another week after the snowfall proved too much to handle for most ploughs. In the Midwest, heavy snowfall caused poor road conditions and numerous vehicle crashes across much of northwest Indiana.
Airport officials in Portland, Maine, cancelled several flights for Saturday ahead of the weather, and some libraries and businesses in the region announced weekend closures. Still, with warmer weather expected to return by the end of the weekend, most New Englanders were taking the storm in stride.
Coastal flooding was expected in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and parts of New Hampshire and Maine could see up to 18 inches of snow. Strong winds could cause power outages.
Many residents in Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Texas emerged on Friday to find their homes and businesses damaged and trees toppled by the reported tornadoes. A 70-year-old man in his truck in Talladega County was killed when a tree fell onto his vehicle in Alabama.
Local authorities said a 43-year-old man in Lauderdale County and a man in Huntsville also were killed by falling trees on Friday. Texas experienced strong winds that brought down trees and ripped the roof off a grocery store in Little Elm, north of Dallas.
Heavy rain was also reported in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, causing flooding in both states. In southwest Arkansas, a couple took shelter in the bathroom of their mobile home while a tornado moved through.
Their home sustained major damage, and they were temporarily trapped in the bathroom until a neighbour cleared debris from outside the door. Minnesota and Wisconsin expected areas of freezing fog with less than quarter-mile visibility into the weekend. North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota could get up to 10 inches of snow and 45 mph wind gusts on Sunday and Monday.
»Storm causes at least 10 deaths in the South and Midwest«
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