U.S. East Coast Shivers With Record Lows

Canadian air chilled the East Coast on Tuesday, tying or shattering temperature records in nine cities, while a stalled storm front produced up to a foot of rain and flooding in parts of eastern Florida.

Temperatures in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina fell to new lows or tied previous records for the day, weather officials said.

In Columbia, S.C., where a chilly Oct. 10 has become something of a habit, it was the third straight year in which the morning low tied the record low for the date, 38 degrees, first set in 1895. It was 23 degrees in Concord, N.H., tying a record set in 1980.

In the Northwest, high winds in advance of a Pacific storm front kicked up dust and knocked down power lines in the eastern part of Washington state.

Officials blamed three small grass and timber fires near Spokane on power lines downed by 40-m.p.h. gusts.

Meanwhile, torrential rain caused flash floods in some eastern areas of Florida, prompting several evacuations and road closings, authorities said. Rainfall ranging from six inches to more than a foot fell in some spots of St. Johns County and the historic city of St. Augustine, south of Jacksonville.

Les Stern, a spokesman with the St. John’s Sheriff Department, said an estimated 15 inches of rain fell in the area from Monday night into Tuesday, causing flooding in low-lying areas and prompting the closing of some streets.