Both Coasts Hammered as Storms Hit : Northwest Buried Under 13-Inch Snow; Kate Batters Georgia

A low-pressure system hovering over the Pacific Northwest buried Washington and Oregon in up to 13 inches of snow today as Tropical Storm Kate, downgraded from a hurricane, barreled into Georgia and sent flood warnings through the mid-Atlantic states.

At least two people were killed in Oregon in weather-related traffic accidents and five people died in Washington, officials said. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was closed for more than nine hours Thursday when seven inches of snow fell. It reopened shortly after midnight.

Port Angeles, Wash., had 13 inches of snow by early morning, and 10 inches of snowfall was expected in the Cascades and Columbia Gorge of Oregon.

Main Highway Closed

Blowing snow and near-blizzard conditions forced South Dakota troopers to close Interstate 90 from Rapid City to Kadoka on Thursday night.

Winter-storm warnings were in effect for most of Washington as well as the Columbia Gorge, the Cascades and northeastern Oregon. Travelers’ advisories for snow were posted for Idaho, Montana, western and northern Wyoming, South Dakota and southern North Dakota.

Cold records were broken in at least half a dozen northern cities, including the 24 degrees below zero recorded at Havre, Mont., which beat by four degrees a record set in 1931 and tied in 1977.

In the Southeast, Hurricane Kate spawned a swarm of tornadoes as it ground into Georgia today, uprooting trees and knocking cars off highways like toys, before it finally weakened to a tropical storm with winds of 55 m.p.h.

Windows Shattered

Kate shattered windows in downtown Donalsonville, Ga., and sheriff’s dispatcher Calvin Atkinson said, “When it came, it came hard.”

“We’ve got trees and power lines down all over the county and the town,” said Ashley Temple, of the Early County Sheriff’s Department. “I just heard that my neighbor’s carport is sitting in my yard.”

The storm moved near Charleston, S.C., later in the day, dumping up to five inches of rain in its path. It was moving northeastward at 20 to 25 m.p.h. and was expected to emerge into the coastal waters during the afternoon.

Kate has claimed at least 15 lives: 10 in Cuba on Tuesday, 2 in Key Largo on Wednesday, 2 in Florida’s Panhandle on Thursday and 1 in South Carolina today--a North Charleston man killed when he was thrown from his truck in a traffic wreck blamed on high winds.

About 100,000 people fled the storm’s Florida assault Tuesday, when it pounded the panhandle with 100-m.p.h. winds.