May Day snow storm hits Colo., Wyo., Midwest

DENVER (AP) — People in parts of Colorado and Wyoming pulled puffy jackets, hats and umbrellas out of the closet again Wednesday for another round of wet spring snow.

The May Day snow storm was making travel difficult on Interstate 70 in Colorado's mountains and along Interstate 80 in southeastern Wyoming, but the snow wasn't having a major impact on Denver's airport, though there have been de-icing delays.

Nearly 3 feet of snow is possible in the foothills and mountains of northern Colorado while around a foot is expected at lower elevations in parts of both states. By midday, over a foot fell at Rocky Mountain National Park. The heavy snow caused power and heat outages there and in Cheyenne.

Parts of the Midwest were also getting rare May snow.

South Dakota's largest city, Sioux Falls, got its first May snowfall in 37 years. A winter storm warning was also in effect for parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The storm is welcome in Colorado and Wyoming because it boosts the snowpack that provides the region's water supply. Both states are in a drought but have benefited from several rounds of spring snow. However, the recent storms have largely missed southwestern Colorado, which remains dry and at risk for wildfires.

About 5 inches were forecast for Denver, where the snow was making the roads a sloppy mess. The snow wasn't sticking much to the pavement, still warm after recent temperatures in the 70s, but it clung to grassy areas and flowers.

Denver native Chris Lujan said he's never worn a top coat, scarf and hat on May 1st before. Greg Notz just put his hood up and wasn't fazed.

"I expect this. Yup. It's better than living where it's warm and dry and nice all the time. At least we get a variety," he said.

Snow in May hits Denver roughly once every three years. July and August are the only months that snow hasn't been recorded there, National Weather Service forecaster David Barjenbruch said.

______

P. Solomon Banda contributed to this report.

Via Yahoo News!

Levee breach set in Midwest

Eleven Mississippi counties are declared federal disaster areasSen. Claire McCaskill calls it "an epic flood"Water from the Mississippi River floods hundreds of square miles of farmlandHeavy rains have caused massive flooding from Minnesota to Louisiana Check out more coverage from CNN affilate KPLR-TV in St. Louis. If you're in an affected area, share your story with CNN's iReport.

(CNN) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was moving ahead Thursday with a controversial plan to breach a levee on the Mississippi River to help stop catastrophic floods in communities in several states.

The group intends to open the final crevasse in the Birds Point-New Madrid levee, continuing a plan to blast holes in it in an effort to ease unprecedented flood pressure.

The Corps started the plan on Monday. Some who live where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet said it has helped.

The Ohio River level at Cairo, Illinois, has dropped nearly 2 feet since Monday afternoon. Officials said they believe the levels would be up to 3 feet higher now if the levee had not been detonated.

Still, the town of Cairo was under a mandatory evacuation order and six other communities were under voluntary evacuation notices, said Patti Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

The decision to breach the Birds Point-New Madrid levee was controversial. Missouri officials took the Corps to court over the plan, questioning the agency's authority to intentionally breach the levee. The state argued the floodwater would deposit silt on about 130,000 acres, and it would take years, along with millions of dollars, to fix the damage.

Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, commander of the Corps' Mississippi River Valley Division, made the decision to order the breach. He warned that without punching a hole in the levee, massive flooding would threaten to inundate communities throughout the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case on Sunday, clearing the way for Walsh to blow up part of the levee.

Despite the plan, many areas were inundated as the Mississippi River spilled out across huge swaths of farmland, creating massive flooding from Minnesota to Louisiana.

The water was coursing across an area of farmland that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon described as "literally the most productive part of our continent."

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill said the Corps' decision was a tough one for them to make.

"Clearly, this is an epic flood," she told CNN, adding that the flooding of the farmland is "an economic devastation to that part of my state."

The sight makes you "sick to your stomach," said farmer Bryan Feezor as he surveyed his submerged fields.

"Farming is all I ever have done ... and it's under water," he told CNN affiliate KPLR.

The flooding has been triggered by heavy rains and meteorologists say it's not expected to fully relent until early June.

More than 20 miles of westbound Interstate 40 in eastern Arkansas was closed due to flooding, state police reported early Thursday.

The closure was between the towns of Hazen and Brinkley, according to Lt. Jackie Clark, who said he expects the eastbound lanes to close later in the day.

On Thursday, 11 Mississippi counties along the Mississippi River were declared federal disaster areas in anticipation of major flooding, Gov. Haley Barbour said.

"This will be a monumental flood, and I ask residents to take this risk seriously and make evacuation plans," Barbour said.

The state's department of transportation prepared a list of possible road closures, but as of Thursday afternoon, only one road was closed, Mississippi State Route 465 in Warren and Issaquena counties between U.S. Highway 61 and Eagle Lake, the agency said.

"There is no exact science to this, so it's imperative that state and federal agencies work closely to lead us through this crisis," Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall said in a prepared statement.

CNN

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Midwest, South still threatened by severe weather

By the CNN Wire Staff STORY HIGHLIGHTSParts of seven states under tornado watch early WednesdayThe watches are set to expire later Wednesday morning.Obama signs North Carolina disaster declarationThe weather service confirms at least 114 tornadoes in last week's stormsIf severe weather happens near you, we want to hear your story. Share your photos and videos with CNN iReport, but please be careful. See more from CNN affiliate WHAS.

(CNN) -- The threat of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes continued Wednesday to hang over portions of the Midwest and South, after another round of violent weather pummeled parts of both regions the day before, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service early Wednesday placed portions of eastern Kentucky, southeast Ohio, southwest Virginia and West Virginia under a tornado watch until 9 a.m. Wednesday. Parts of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee remain under a tornado watch until 10 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

So far, there have been no reports of injuries or deaths from the latest round of storms, according to emergency management officials and law enforcement. Last week, violent storms and tornadoes killed at least 46 people in the southeastern United States.

Early Wednesday morning, firefighters in Celina, Ohio, battled blazes that broke out after severe weather swept through the area. The fires damaged multiple homes and business, according to Lt. Chris Klein of the Celina fire department.

View the Original article

Midwest braces for more storms

Amazing storm survival storiesSTORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Forecasters say seven states, mostly in the Midwest, at risk for severe weather TuesdayCities at risk include Indianapolis, Tulsa and St. LouisWeather service confirms at least 97 tornadoes in last week's storms Weekend outbreak in the southeastern U.S. is largest since 2008, records show Chicago (CNN) -- Another round of severe storms Tuesday could strike Oklahoma, one of the states hit by a wave of violent weather last week, forecasters say.

National Weather Service forecasts early Tuesday include the possibility of heavy winds, large hail and tornadoes also in Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas, western Tennessee, Indiana and Missouri. The cities at risk of severe weather include St. Louis, Indianapolis and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The threat of heavy storms is predicted to diminish in those areas on Wednesday morning, but the Northeast could experience isolated outbreaks of severe storms later in the day, forecasters said.

The South, according to forecasters, has little chance of suffering a repeat Tuesday of the violent storms and tornadoes that killed at least 45 people last week.

Three days after the largest tornado outbreak since 2008 raked the Southeast, the focus has shifted in the region to cleanup.

View the Original article