Extreme weather: 30 tornadoes on Christmas Day and six deaths

UPDATE: 12-27-12 9:37 AM PST

The National Weather Service reports continuing winter storms in the Northeastern U.S. Storm warnings continue over parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and New England. Winter advisories remain in effect over Eastern PA, Northern New Jersey and Southeast New Hampshire. Costal Flood advisories also from Long Island to Southern Maine and high wind warnings in effect across coastal Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

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UPDATE: 12-26-12 5:15pm PST

Additional deaths have been reported as storms ripped through Arkansas and the upper Ohio Valley, bringing the total to six attributed to the storm system.

Two passengers in a car on a sleet-slickened Arkansas highway were killed Wednesday in a head-on collision, and two people, including a 76-year-old Milwaukee woman, were killed Tuesday on Oklahoma highways. Deaths from wind-toppled trees were reported in Texas and Louisiana, according to reports in the Washington Post.

The storm left freezing temperatures in its wake, and forecasters also said parts of the Southeast from Virginia to Florida would see severe thunderstorms.

Warnings are being issued in Indiana and Ohio as snow was blamed for scores of vehicle accidents as far east as Maryland, and about two dozen counties in Indiana and Ohio issued snow emergency travel alerts, urging people to go out on the roads only if necessary.

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In southern parts of South Carolina, southeast North Carolina and northern Florida, severe weather patterns caused about 30 tornadoes on Christmas Day. Three people died in weather-related incidents Tuesday, according to CNN.

The National Weather Service is reporting storms “capable of producing more widespread damaging wind gusts and have the potential for tornadoes.” The strong storm system that brought a series of weather hazards to the central and southern US on Christmas will shift to the eastern US today. Heavy snow and blizzard conditions will impact the Ohio Valley into the interior Northeast, creating treacherous driving conditions. Also, severe thunderstorms are forecast to develop today from southeast Virginia to Florida.

Residents and travelers in those areas can expect heavy snowfall, icing and numerous tornadoes as the storm moves through the lower Tennessee Valley to the mid-Atlantic states today.

Check the weather in your area from the National Weather Service here.

For a less technical weather report check out The Weather Underground here.

Northern California has experienced severe rain and flooding in the last week in most areas, causing damage to property from mudslides and toppled exterior structures as a result of a combination of wind and rain. Trees have fallen and been uprooted due to the saturation of the ground by rain water.

It usually does not snow in Clearlake, where I live, until late January or February, but this year the first snow fell at my elevation, which is approximately 1,400 ft, on Dec. 15. There was no damage however, like the snowstorm of 2011 that caused a lot of damage.

Despite the negative aspects of the recent storms, California’s Central Valley has some positive reports. The wet weather that has saturated Northern California is providing a much-needed boost to reservoirs and creating ideal skiing conditions.

San Joaquin County Agriculture Commissioner Scott Hudson said on Monday the rains are keeping the grass green for cattle feeds and replenishing reservoirs. The Central Valley often experiences extended droughts during the summer, according to the Press Democrat.

Meanwhile, ski resorts are enjoying fresh snow on the slopes ensuring a prosperous winter ski season for California resorts.

Resources:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/26/us/winter-weather/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

http://www.weather.gov/

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20121224/WIRE/121229779