Snow Dusts Yellowstone’s High Passes : Northeast Storms Damage Homes, Knock Out Power

A cold front dusted some Western mountain passes with snow today and thunderstorms rolled across broad sections of the nation, one day after storms scrambled power lines and housetops in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Showers and thunderstorms spread across the Dakotas, northern Nebraska and northwest Minnesota, and thunderstorms were scattered across Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and western Texas.

The cold front through the western Dakotas sent light snow onto high passes in Yellowstone Park and churned gusty winds along with thunderstorms.

Trees were downed, and three-fourths of an inch of rain fell in an hour today on International Falls, Minn., as strong thunderstorms moved ahead of a cold front crossing the north central states.

Behind the cold front, temperatures fell to the 30s and 40s across the northern Rockies and the northern plateau. Kalispell, Mont., shivered with 31 degrees this morning, breaking its record of 36 degrees and marking Kalispell’s second straight morning of record cold.

Heavy Rain in Florida

Showers were widespread across southern Montana and Wyoming, parts of New England and the western Ohio Valley. Heavy rain fell on southern Florida, with about an inch and a half of rain at Homestead and Miami.

Connecticut work crews began cleaning up today from a series of storms and an apparent tornado that swept through the state Monday, ripping roofs from homes, barns and businesses. More than 24,000 customers in Connecticut and Springfield, Mass., lost power during the brief but powerful downpours. All but 250 customers had power again this morning.

Intense thunderstorms pummeled northern New Jersey with heavy rain and marble-sized hail.

An unoccupied summerhouse in Byram, N.J., was destroyed by a “neon-blue lightning bolt,” Police Chief Eskil Danielson said. Numerous downed trees and power lines were reported throughout the state.

The same storm system tore through central and western Massachusetts, and one tornado was reported but unconfirmed. In Ware, Mass., two buildings were flattened and the roof was ripped off a third, police said.