Rockies, Plains Struck by Snow and High Winds

A violent storm raked the Rockies and Plains on Tuesday with snow, heavy rain and high winds that toppled trees, knocked out power and wrecked several Texas homes.

In the Northeast, snow blanketed parts of northern New England and eastern New York, with the mountains of Vermont and Maine receiving up to nine inches since Monday.

A tornado ripped through two areas of historic Natchez, Miss., Tuesday night, unroofing homes, overturning house trailers and wrecking a bank and department store, authorities said, but causing only three minor injuries.

“We have a tremendous amount of home damage--roofs blown off, windows blown out, and trees falling on houses,” Adams County Sheriff Billy T. Ferrell said.

Tornadoes Hit Texas

The slow-moving western storm, which had dumped up to 30 inches of snow in Utah, also hit Texas with tornadoes and drenched parts of Oklahoma and the lower Mississippi Valley with rain.

A tornado or high winds destroyed a house Tuesday southeast of Slocum, Tex. Kathy Dennis, about 35 years old, was killed, while her husband and two sons were hospitalized, officials said.

“We don’t really know what happened,” said Ralph Robinson, a Public Safety Department dispatcher. “It could have been a tornado or high winds.” Several other homes in the area were damaged.

The National Weather Service said a few homes were reported damaged in Huntsville, Tex., when the storm moved through.

A flash flood warning was issued for the northeastern Texas counties of Camp, Morris, Titus and Upshur after as much as seven inches of rain fell Tuesday.