NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

JANUARY 2006

1st-7th...The second major storm in two days moved across Northern
California on Sunday, prolonging the threat of flooding as residents
tried to clean up thick layers of mud and debris left behind as the
first wave of floodwater receded.
Hundreds of homes and businesses across the region had been inundated
Saturday, as heavy rain sent the Napa and Russian rivers spilling over
their banks.
A Caltrans road grader clears mud from a drainage ditch along Highway
50 following storms that brought flooding, mud slides and snow that
closed
the heavily-traveled route Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005, near Placerville,
CA. A powerful storm sent rivers and creeks over their banks and into
cities and set off mudslides that blocked major highways across
Northern California. At least a dozen people had to be rescued from the
rushing water, and forecasters warned of another storm Sunday. In many
areas, the rivers and creeks were back in their banks Sunday, although
some towns remained flooded or they flooded again as the rain, heavy at
times, came and went throughout the day Sunday. The Sonoma
County town of Guerneville was among those still fighting floodwater
amid pouring rain. At least two more inches of rain was forecast across
Northern California on Sunday, on top of the four to nine inches that
had already swamped the region, the National Weather Service said.
Wildfire-damaged areas of Southern California were also under a
flash-flood watch and a threat of mudslides as heavy rain headed in
their direction. In Pasadena, the Rose Parade's floral floats were
being prepared for what could be the first rainy Rose Parade in half a
century. Massive mudslides kept road crews busy moving rock and debris
that shut down Interstate 80 for a day through the Sierra Nevada. In
Sunday, water topped a levee in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta,
forcing as many as 100 people to evacuate Twitchell Island. Along the
Sacramento River near Collinsville in Solano County, several dozen
people were evacuated as the strong winds thrashed the water over levee
walls, cracked them under the pressure, said Paula Toynbee, spokeswoman
for the Solano County Sheriff's Department.
Rain drenched the Midwest and much of the South on Monday, while
tornadoes were reported in Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. Hail fell
in Indiana, Kentucky and portions of the Southeast. Parts of
Pennsylvania and New York had light snow mixed with freezing rain. A
developing low pressure system will push through the Mid-Atlantic,
bringing mainly rain to much of the Northeast. A tornado touched down
in Lyons, GA, destroying two trailer homes and blowing down trees and
power lines. Two other tornadoes were reported in Palmer, TN, and
Hardin, KY. Tornadoes were reported in Georgia and Kentucky. Three
people were hospitalized with minor injuries in Georgia's Pike County,
about 50 miles south of Atlanta.
In suburban Atlanta, at least seven houses were damaged or destroyed
near Tyrone by what residents said was a tornado. Near Palmetto, a
tornado damaged about four houses, police said. At least two tornadoes
were reported in Kentucky, in Hardin and Lincoln counties. They leveled
a food store, damaged several homes and toppled trees and power lines.
No injuries were reported in either county, authorities said. In
Indiana, the storm caused scattered power failures. A utility worker
died when a piece of equipment overturned on him as his crew worked
about 20 miles east of Evansville.
Rain and thunderstorms pounded the mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coast on
Monday as light rain and snow fell along the West Coast. Large hail was
reported in some coastal areas of North Carolina. Farther north, parts
of New England experienced rain and snow, while much of the Ohio Valley
and southern Great Lakes saw light rain. Some freezing rain fell in
western New England. Northern California also had some rain and snow in
the mountains.

8th-14th...Severe storms and tornadoes swept across two states Friday,
killing a woman in Alabama, damaging dozens of homes, and tearing a
section of roof off a Florida school where 13 children were injured,
authorities said. The children at Baker School had minor cuts and
bruises, said Ken Wolf, emergency management director for Okaloosa
County. A nearby post office and several mobile homes were also damaged
in the Panhandle town, about 50 miles northeast of Pensacola, the
National Weather Service reported. In the small community of
Belleville, AL, at least 18 homes and the fire department building were
damaged or destroyed by an apparent tornado, state Emergency Management
Agency director Bruce Baughman said. The Conecuh County, Ala.,
sheriff's office confirmed the death of a woman who was killed in her
home by a chimney collapse.

15th-21st...The main weather system that affected the country Wednesday
was a low pressure system that moved through the Great Lakes and into
Ontario and Quebec. The associated cold front swept through the
Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, dropping copious amounts of rain over the
region before eventually pushing off the Eastern seaboard. The warm
front from this system moved up the Mid-Atlantic into the Northeast,
bringing even more heavy rain north of and along the front as it moved
through New England. Out West, onshore flow kept rain and high
elevation snow over Northern California through much of the morning
before gradually moving into Central California.

22nd-28th...Fierce Santa Ana winds whipping through Southern California
on Monday fanned brush and house fires, knocked out power to thousands
of utility customers and littered roads with debris. The northeast
winds roared out of the desert interior and down through mountain
passes and canyons toward the coast, sending firefighters chasing
outbreaks of fire, and toppling big rigs onto their sides along
highways. At midday a wildfire pushed by 30 mph winds spread over about
50 acres of brush near Highland in the foothills of the San Bernardino
National Forest, 65 miles east of Los Angeles, said Forest Services
spokeswoman
Robin Prince. The blaze did not immediately threaten any structures.
Air
tankers and helicopters were being called in. High winds arrived Sunday
across a broad swath of Southern California from the coast northwest of
Los Angeles to counties east and south. The winds, with gusts near 70
mph in some areas, were created by high pressure over the northern
Great Basin and low pressure off the coast of Southern California, the
National Weather Service said.
About 100 Southern California Edison lines went down Sunday and Monday,
and some 62,000 customers lost power, Edison spokesman Steve Conroy
said. Most outages were in San Gabriel Valley foothills and communities
farther east. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported
15,000 customers lost power overnight. Six tractor-trailers and one box
truck were blown over on Interstate 15 and its transition roads with
I-210 and I-10, according to California
Highway Patrol Officer Tony Nguyen. There were no injuries.

29th-31st...Avalanches and mudslides closed a major highway overnight
and blocked Amtrak train service Monday amid the latest in a series of
storms that have drenched the Northwest since December. The storm that
hit on Sunday also knocked out power and phone service in northwest
Oregon. Interstate 90, Washington state's main east-west artery, was
closed Sunday evening by two snowslides in the area of 3,022-foot
Snoqualmie Pass. A 72-mile stretch of the interstate remained shut down
until late Monday morning, the state Transportation Department said. No
injuries were reported. Nearly 40 inches of snow fell at the pass in
four days. Mudslides during the night north of Seattle halted Amtrak
passenger service and Sounder commuter trains between Seattle and
Everett,
Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad spokesman Gus Melonas said. That
affected service from Portland, Ore., to Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Northwest is dealing with an unusually wet winter. Earlier this
month, Olympia set a record with 35 consecutive days of measurable
rainfall, two days more than the old mark set in 1953. On Monday, the
city reported 2.8 inches of rain in 24 hours. Rail traffic has been
disrupted repeatedly this month by mudslides along the steep slopes
lining Puget Sound north and south of Seattle.
Rain bookended the nation Tuesday. Heavy rain and wind troubled the
Northeast in the morning. Gusts above 30 mph were recorded from
Virginia to Boston, and rainfall was estimated as high as 3 inches.
Meanwhile, a strong Pacific storm brought rain and high-elevation snow
to the Northwest. Rain was heaviest over the coastal regions of
Washington and Oregon and moved into Northern California.