Stories related to: storm

Floodwaters receded today after 24,000 people fled Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but only one well is uncontaminated to service the city, CNN reports. Officials say it will run down if people take showers and flush toilets over the next 3 or 4 days. "Water is still our primary concern," one said. "We're still using water at a greater rate than we're producing." More »

Two intrepid explorers using sonar and a remote-controlled submersible have discovered what may be the oldest shipwreck in the Great Lakes, the AP reports. HMS Ontario, a British warship carrying as many as 130, sank in a storm in Lake Ontario in 1780. Since 1781, when six sailors’ bodies washed ashore, there had been no sign of the 80-foot sloop before the find announced yesterday. More »

Four people were killed and at least 40 others were injured when a tornado struck a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa, the Des Moines Register reports. A Scout spokesman said about 100 youths ages 14 to 18 were at the camp along with adult supervisors, but it wasn't immediately clear if those killed were teens. The tornado struck as Iowa was struggling with severe floods elsewhere in the state. More »

Severe weather lashed the Great Plains yesterday after forecasters warned of a possible tornado outbreak as bad as the 1974 one that spawned 39 twisters, AP reports. At least four tornadoes touched down in Kansas, causing widespread damage and spooking a pair of runaway circus elephants. Heavy rains caused rivers in Iowa to burst their banks. More storms are expected today. More »

A deadly North Carolina twister was part of a powerful storm system that rocked the Southeast last night, AP reports. The Carolina tornado knocked three tractor-trailers off a highway, killing one and injuring two. Storms also hammered a shopping area in Mississippi, and homes in Tennessee and Alabama, where winds hit 60 mph. More »

As many as 10,000 might have died in the cyclone that struck Burma on Saturday, a government official told foreign diplomats today, and that number could rise yet higher as aid workers pick through the rubble. The death toll, originally estimated at 351, had already been raised to 4,000 earlier today, the Times of London reports. More »

Severe storms tore through Southern states yesterday, the AP reports. Homes were damaged and tens of thousands of people had their power knocked out. A 2-year-old Kentucky girl died in surging floodwater and 22 injuries were reported in Mississippi as storms packing possible tornadoes toppled trees, ripped roofs off homes and businesses, and sent debris flying. More »

Atlanta cleaned up today after a tornado with 130mph winds ripped through the city last night, CNN reports. About 30 people were injured, though none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening. Thousands were without power today, and about 20 homes were damaged or destroyed in the historic Cabbagetown district near downtown. The city braced for a new round of powerful storms today. More »

At least 54 people are dead and 100 injured in a series of tornadoes that tore across the South last night and early this morning, and rescue teams fear that the full extent of the storms' destruction remains to be seen. The twisters, which closed polls early in some states, trapped people in damaged buildings, ignited fires, and sliced through a university, a mall, a retirement home, and a hospital, CNN reports. More »

A series of freak tornadoes touched down last night across the Midwest, killing two Missouri women and leaving a swath of destruction in their wake, CNN reports. Another person was killed when another twister hit Arkansas this morning. “I’ve never seen damage like this in the summertime,” said one Wisconsin sheriff. “To see something like this in January is mind-boggling.” More »

Weather conditions have yet to clear up on the West Coast, where storms have deposited 5 or more feet of snow on mountain ranges, caused severe flooding and blackouts, and killed at least three people. Higher Sierra Nevada peaks have gotten up to 9 feet of snow, the AP reports, and more is expected. Some counties in Nevada and California have been declared emergency areas. More »

A storm that battered Northern California and knocked out power for more a million people today is drenching Los Angeles tonight, sparking evacuation calls for an estimated 3,000 people, the Los Angeles Times reports. Torrential rain is expected and residents of canyon areas scorched by the October wildfires have been ordered to leave for fear of mudslides. More »

A deadly storm packing a one-two punch of heavy snow and high winds delivered a pounding to the Plains, making travel treacherous on a busy pre-holiday weekend. Blowing snow dropped visibility to near zero at times, causing at least five deaths in a string of multi-vehicle crashes that closed portions of major highways in several states, reports AP. More »

Nearly 1 million people are without power in the aftermath of a nightmarish ice storm that wreaked havoc with roads, homes and airports through a Midwestern swath of the nation. The storm has claimed 24 lives so far, most on ice-slicked roadways. Forecasters predicted a new storm building in the southern Plains today that will deliver more sleet and freezing rain to Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. More »

An icy storm plunged more than 600,000 Midwesterners into freezing darkness today, crippling power and causing about 15 fatalities on slippery roads, the AP reports. Oklahoma fared worst, declaring a state of emergency as schools shut down and hospitals ran on backup generators. More is on the way, according to the National Weather Service—which posted ice and storm warnings for parts of several states tomorrow. More »

A state of emergency was declared yesterday for the western part of Washington, the area hardest hit by severe storms in the last few days. Massive flooding, heavy rains and high winds have killed at least two people, caused a three-day shutdown of an interstate and other major highways, and knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of residents. More »

Hordes of Bangladeshis had evacuated ahead of a massive cyclone that pummeled the country's southwestern coast today, and a government official says he expects 3.2 million will evacuate by late today. Cyclone Sidr has 149-mph winds that could cause storm surges as high as 20 feet and swamp several districts. "We have taken all precautions," the official says. More »

Tropical Storm Noel hit Cuba today as its rains kept drenching the Dominican Republic and Haiti, CNN reports. The ex-hurricane's 40 mph winds and 5 to 15 inches of rain are expected to stay over Cuba tonight before moving north tomorrow. Forecasters say the storm will likely miss the US, but a tropical storm watch may apply to southeastern Florida. More »

More than a million Chinese fled their homes as Storm Krusa slammed the southeastern coast after claiming five lives in Taiwan. Damage and injury reports were sketchy as gusts hitting 89 mph ripped through communities. Officials had canceled flights and called back ships and fishing boats in the area to minimize damage. More »

An unremarkable tropical depression headed for Texas stunned forecasters when it jumped speed overnight to become a hurricane faster than any other storm in more than a century. Hurricane Humberto slammed Beaumont and Port Arthur, still recovering from Rita, killing at least one person, knocking out power to 100,000 people and dumping up to 15 inches of rain on the already sodden region. More »