Tornadoes Rip N. Carolina; Bus Full of Children Tossed From Highway
Tornadoes ripped across North Carolina early Monday, smashing houses and tossing a school bus full of children off a road before a deadly storm system headed out to sea.
Two people were killed by tornadoes in North Carolina, boosting the death toll to 25 from the barrage of twisters that tore through 12 states between Saturday and Monday. Two other deaths in a car crash were blamed on heavy rain from the storm system.
And in the wake of that weather system, a new storm built in strength Monday in the Rockies. A blizzard closed schools and highways in Colorado and Wyoming, and avalanches closed canyon roads in Utah.
Flights at Denver’s Stapleton International Airport were delayed by half an hour, airport officials said.
Other deaths from the unusual November thunderstorm system included 15 in Mississippi, five in Georgia and one each in Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina.
The National Weather Service said at least 45 tornadoes touched down in 24 hours up to Monday morning. Hundreds of people were injured.
More than a dozen North Carolina counties reported damage or injuries Monday. Tornadoes caused extensive power outages, snapped trees, blocked roads and delayed the start of school and work for thousands.
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