Weather Chaos Hits the U. S. : From Floods to Snowstorms

The eastern part of the U. S. is gearing up for a fresh round of intense, wet weather. This includes heavy rain and strong winds that could bring tornadoes to the Mississippi Valley. Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Arkansas are under flood alerts. The National Weather Service is urging people to avoid roads as some areas could see up to 8 inches of rain. Kentucky's governor has declared a state of emergency due to expected flash flooding. This isn't the first time these areas have faced flooding, and officials are preparing by focusing on areas that have flooded before. The weather service is warning of a "major, potentially historic, flash flood event" in the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio valleys. Tennessee is already seeing flash flood warnings in the middle of the state. Meanwhile, heavy snow is expected to hit New England, making travel difficult. Northern New York is bracing for a mix of snow, sleet, and ice, with wind gusts up to 45 mph. Power outages and tree damage are likely due to the ice and strong winds. The Midwest and Upper Plains are also feeling the chill, with snow and arctic temperatures covering roads in eastern Nebraska, northern Iowa, and much of Wisconsin. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for parts of these states and Michigan, with up to 4 inches of snow expected by Sunday evening. Denver is opening additional shelters for those living on the streets as temperatures are expected to drop to 14 degrees.

The U. S. is about to experience its 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Arctic weather forces are pushing cold air from the North Pole into the U. S. and Europe. The cold outbreak is expected to start in the northern Rockies and northern Plains on Saturday and stick around all next week. In Denver, the city has extended its cold weather shelters for those living on the streets. The Denver Coliseum will be opened Saturday for additional space. The weather service also warned of extreme cold in the Upper Plains over the coming days starting Sunday, with wind chills ranging from -30 degrees to as low as 60-below in parts of western Montana, North Dakota, northern South Dakota and western Minnesota. Residents in those areas were urged to stay indoors during the extreme cold and to make provisions to shelter livestock and other animals. In southern California, dry weather has returned after the strongest storm of the year. However, the risk of mudslides on wildfire-scarred hillsides continues. Dangerous slides can occur even after the rain stops, especially in areas where vegetation has been burned away. In the city of Sierra Madre, water, debris, and boulders rushed down the mountain, trapping a car in the mud and damaging several home garages. Bulldozers were cleaning up the mud-covered streets on Friday. A storm in the Sierra Nevada mountains dumped 6 feet of snow over 36 hours. Two ski patrol staff from Mammoth Mountain were caught in an avalanche during avalanche mitigation work. One was extracted and was responsive, while the other was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

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