Freezing rain, snow, sleet, flash floods and at least one tornado walloped the United States this weekend, killing at least 13 people in accidents on slick roads as a massive storm front blanketed much of the country. The storm was expected to continue through at least Tuesday.
The ice, wind and snow downed trees, traffic signals and power lines, blocked roads and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Churches cancelled Sunday services and businesses closed early or did not open at all.
Ten people died in Oklahoma where slippery highways caused more than 200 accidents, the Oklahoman newspaper reported.
A state of emergency was declared and the National Guard was called out in the midwestern state of Missouri declared after an ice storm knocked power out to more than 200,000 homes on a bitterly cold weekend.
Emergency shelters and hotels were filled by people trying to warm up and a nursing home had to be evacuated because of the freezing temperatures, local media reported.
In Texas, the governor also call out the National Guard after more than six inches of rain cause flash flooding and dramatic high-water rescues.
One woman was swept away by floodwaters in an Austin creek and a man who jumped in to save her was rescued when he was spotted clinging to foliage in water up to his neck, the Austin-American Statesman reported.
Crowds filled grocery stores to stock up on essentials after the rain was forecast to turn into an ice storm, the Statesman reported.
Record-breaking cold weather even hit California, which usually has mild temperatures throughout the year, with citrus farmers in the Central Valley and the southern part of the state using wind-machines to protect their fruit, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"This is a very, very big cold front," National Weather Service spokesman Greg Romano told AFP.
"We're aware of at least six fatalities and numerous injuries due to weather-related vehicle accidents as of Saturday afternoon. There's been tree damage, downed power lines and significant power outages."
Parts of Colorado got up to 18 inches of snow while up to three inches of sleet were reported in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri, Romano said. Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri got an inch or more of freezing rain.
The storm is gathering moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and cold air from the Arctic, Romano said. It is expected to hit the east coast on Tuesday.
