Wicked Winter Weather
Unusually warm temperatures generated by La Nina were swept out of the East on Tuesday by a line of cold, stormy weather. The same clash of weather systems spawned tornadoes in Midwest and Southern border states.
It's the kind of dangerous weather they don't expect until spring. In its wake, there were numerous injuries and hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed, and thousands were without power. No deaths were attributed to the storms.
As CBS News Correspondent Maureen Maher reports, one of the worst tornadoes struck a small community in Kentucky.
"Everyone was preparing for Y2K and this is what we got instead," said one resident.
What they got in Owensboro, Ky., was a rare winter tornado. It toppled magnificent old oaks, left cars crushed beneath the trees and blew away Stephanie Wilson's home, almost taking her son with it.
"My son was going up and he yelled 'Mom, Mom,' and I grabbed him by his feet," Wilson said.
At the Winne Dixie market, manager Louie Bailey and a store full of customers watched as the tornado crashed through the front window and exited out the back wall.
And the National Weather Service says that it may not be over yet.
"We talked about El Nino. Now with the La Nina effect, the winter here would be warmer and it would also have more precipitation than normal," said meteorologist Marvin Maddox.
It is the second consecutive winter marked by such early tornadoes. A year ago, warm winter weather brought a killer tornado to Tennessee, leaving nine dead.
With the exception of some cold days, meteorologists are predicting the warmer than usual temperatures will continue, which may make the once-unusual January tornado a more common occurrence.
Elsewhere, thunderstorms knocked out power in Arkansas and tornadoes and thunderstorms moved through southeast Missouri.
Twisters also touched down in Mississippi, destroying homes and injuring about a half-dozen people, including a couple whose manufactured home was flipped off its foundation near New Albany. The couple were in stable condition at a hospital.
A twister that touched down near Salem, Ind., destroyed a mobile home, knocked several houses off of their foundations and brought down trees and power lines. One person was injured, reports CBS affiliate WLKY-TV. The storms also touched off flash floods in Washington County.
Thunderstorms and a possible tornado also damaged more than 20 homes in southern Illinois. At least six homes in Cambria, Ill., were seriously damaged, reports CBS affiliate KFVS-TV. One business lost a large part of its roof, and several people suffered minor injuries.
In southwest Ohio, more than 6 inches of rain fell, flooding basements, knocking out power and closing roads. Some streets were closed in the Cincinnati area, and minor wind damage was reported statewide.
Hard-charging thunderstorms continued to rumble throgh parts of the South Tuesday, sending strong winds through Alabama and Georgia and pelting the states with large hail.
Meanwhile, severe thunderstorms, freezing rain and near-blizzard conditions affected parts of the East. Freezing rain or sleet was reported from Maine to Michigan, making roads hazardous. Icy roads and snow also affected Wisconsin where, CBS affiliate WISC reports, more than three inches fell in the afternoon and early evening.
In the West, rain and snow hit the higher elevations from northern California to Washington. Several inches fell on Oregon's Mount Hood Monday evenuing and accidents on snow-slickened roads in Draper, Utah sent six people to the hospital, reports CBS affiliate KUTV.