Snows, Flooding, Tornadoes Pound U.S.

Snow blanketed much of the nation from New England to the Pacific Northwest on Saturday, while the Southeast cleaned up from a wave of thunderstorms and devastating tornadoes that killed two people and sent hundreds fleeing from rising floodwaters.

A winter storm warning remained in effect for interior parts of western Washington state, where up to 12 inches of snow fell between Whidbey Island and Olympia. Strong winds brought the wind chills to near zero in many locations.

Scattered showers fell over the Southeast, where a day earlier severe thunderstorms roamed and tornadoes ripped through Cooper, Daleville and Ft. Rucker, Ala.; Irmo, S. C., and Carrollton, Ga.

About 38 homes were destroyed or damaged in Carrollton, and 12 people were hospitalized. The twister pulled trees out of the ground in a corkscrew motion, witnesses said.

“Some houses looked like they just exploded,” said Capt. Robert Lee of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department. “It looked like a bomb hit right in the middle of the subdivision.”

More than 10 inches of rain had pelted Summerville, Ga., Friday, forcing dozens of evacuations. Flooding was also reported in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky.

North Carolina officials sent damage assessment teams to areas in 19 counties hit with floods during the torrential storms, to determine if the state should apply for federal disaster assistance.

All emergency shelters in the affected North Carolina counties were reported closed Saturday. More than 200 state residents were evacuated because of the floods.

Winds gusting to 45 m.p.h. moved snow around north-central Nebraska and caused hazardous driving conditions.

Yellowstone Park in Wyoming had as much as 3 inches of snow overnight, and there were greater amounts of snow in the higher mountains nearby. Gusts reached about 50 m.p.h. near Casper Mountain.