Severe Storms pound North America on both coasts
Pastor Dale Morgan
Severe Storms pound North America on both coasts*
MONTREAL, Dec 3 (AFP) Dec 04, 2007
Major storms pounded North America's Atlantic and Pacific coasts Monday,
grounding flights, forcing schools to close and creating dangerous road
conditions that have left at least 10 people dead.
Snow forced severe flight delays at major airports in Ottawa, Toronto
and Montreal, while children stayed home as hundreds of schools closed
in eastern Canada.
Nearly all flights were cancelled or delayed at the international
airport of Montreal, where 24 centimeters (9.5 inches) fell overnight.
Up to 35 centimeters of snow fell in parts of Canada's eastern provinces
of Ontario and Quebec, where police reported one person was killed in a
weather-related, head-on collision on a rural road.
In Canada's easternmost Newfoundland and Labrador province, a blizzard
whipped up 110 kilometers (68 miles) per hour winds and dumped 30
centimeters (12 inches) of snow, downing power lines and causing major
blackouts in the region.
The storm lashed the US Midwest over the weekend before striking the
northeastern United States and Canada.
Slick and icy roads caused traffic pileups and accidents across the
United States, leaving four people dead in Michigan, three in Wisconsin,
one in Indiana and another in New Jersey, according to local newspapers.
The Pacific northwest was also pounded by a major early winter storm.
The state of Washington took a beating from a wintry mix of powerful
winds, heavy rain and massive snow fall, all resulting in mudslides,
flooding and avalanches, the US National Weather Service said.
"You name it, we have it," NWS meteorologist Brad Colman told AFP.
Hurricane-force winds of up to 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour, with
gusts of 135 kph (85 mph), were recorded off the Washington coast, while
at least one river flooded with more expected to overflow, Colman said.
Sixty centimeters to one meter (two to three feet) of snow fell in the
Cascades mountain range, triggering avalanches that forced one major
state road to shut down, he said.
Heavy rain also caused major traffic woes with water rising up to 1.2
meters (four feet). "It has been a traffic nightmare," Colman said,
adding that no injuries were reported.
The NWS issued flood and heavy snow warnings for parts of Oregon and
Washington state. Snow warnings were also in effect in Idaho and parts
of Montana.
Powerful winds and heavy rains also pounded Canada's Pacific coast city
of Vancouver, while Alberta province was hit by a polar cold.