US TORNADOES CLAIM HUNDREDS OF HOMES, SEVEN LIVES

A string of tornadoes swept through the central US on New Year's Eve, destroying or damaging hundreds of homes and claiming at least seven lives. The twisters first hit eastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas and then swept into northeast Missouri and central Illinois, with some of tornadoes reaching force 3, with winds of up to 150 mph. The National Weather Service said that eight tornadoes touched down in the St Louis area. A single force 3 twister with winds of 136 mph destroyed more than 20 homes in Petersburg, Illinois. The NWS said that the tornadoes were generated by a band of strong to severe thunderstorms that developed ahead of a Pacific cold front that swept through the central US after dumping heavy rain and snow in California. The thunderstorms also caused wind and hail damage in the four central US states. In California, the storm system produced severe mudslides that destroyed or damaged dozens of homes situated in canyons below areas torched by last year's wildfires. A week earlier, a low pressure system that originated off the North Carolina coast led to a major snow storm that crippled much the Atlantic coast from Washington DC into Canada. The storm led to cancellation of thousands of flights out of New York, Boston and Philadelphia; shut down train service between New York and Boston; and cut power for tens of thousands of customers in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. At least five deaths from car accidents were attributed to the storm.