Flooding Hits Texas; Record Cold Grips North

Heavy rain caused flooding in Texas on Sunday that closed roads and chased people from homes and campers in low-lying areas. Record cold weather continued from the Pacific Northwest across the northern Plains to Minnesota’s North Woods.

In addition to the cold, moderate to heavy snow fell across northwestern Utah, leaving many roads impassible and some roads closed from Utah into Idaho, with major mountain roads snowpacked and slippery.

Overnight lows fell to below zero from the upper Mississippi Valley to Washington state and Oregon.

28 Below in North Dakota

Readings between 20 and 28 degrees below zero were reported over parts of central and eastern North Dakota, with Bismarck hitting a record of 26 below zero, 10 degrees below the old mark.

Low temperature records for the date were shattered across Washington state, with Walla Walla plunging a full 27 degrees below its former record to 9 degrees below zero, and Spokane chilling to 11 below, 24 degrees below its old record which was set in 1887.

Portland, Ore., had a record low of 13 degrees, tying its record for the coldest day in November, and plumbers reported a rash of calls to fix frozen or broken pipes.

Volunteers drove through downtown Portland on Saturday night and picked up homeless people to be taken to a shelter.

Utah’s storm dropped nearly a foot of snow in the mountains and up to six inches in some northern valleys. The Utah Highway Patrol blamed the snow for one traffic fatality.

To the north, in Idaho, Boise hit a record low of 5 degrees, its fourth record day in a row.

Streams Forced Out of Banks

In Texas, the rainstorm brought five to seven inches to the south-central and eastern parts of the state, forcing streams out of their banks and pouring water over roads.

No injuries were reported, but several families were evacuated in Texas’ northern Comal County, and occupants of a New Braunfels recreational vehicle campsite fled for higher ground when the Guadalupe River began to flow rapidly, officials said. Leon County authorities reported that a car was washed off a highway south of Buffalo.