clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International) (02/05/90)
Powerful wind gusts and thunderstorms pounded the South for a second straight day Sunday, causing floods and scattered property damage, while fresh snow coated parts of the Midwest and freezing rain chilled the East. Heavy rain was accompanied by unseasonably high temperatures in the 50s and 60s across Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas, the National Weather Service said. The conditions spawned tornados Saturday near Gordo, Ala., and Philadelphia, Miss. High winds in Alabama and Arkansas Saturday damaged trailer parks, uprooted trees and knocked out power to about 24,000 homes, Alabama Power Co. said. The storm swept through the Birmingham area starting around 7:15 p.m. and rain continued into Sunday, said Bill Goodman, a spokesman for Alabama Power. ``We had a terrible storm and several possible tornado sightings (Saturday),'' Goodman said. ``At the height of the storm, we had between 80 and 100 poles knocked down.'' He said power crews worked through the night to repair the damage, but that 4,800 customers were still without power late Sunday morning. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Sunday that nine families were evacuated from their homes after 5 inches of rain drenched parts of the state. In Mississippi, about 40 homes in Clarksdale were evacuated after flooding caused by 8 inches of rain. About 19 families in West Memphis, Ark., also were evacuated from their homes. The National Weather Service issued flood watches for portions of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Residents of parts of central and southern Illinois woke up to a surprise snowstorm Sunday, which dumped up to 7 inches in nearby St. Louis in a four-hour period, forecasters said. Snow tapered off to a slower pace during the morning hours while rain that fell over southern Illinois had changed to snow, the NWS said. Temperatures were only a degree or two above freezing. ``We've had quite a few semis going into the median and cars going into the median on Interstate 55,'' said Master Sgt. Don Wilson at the Litchfield state police headquarters. ``You can only drive 25 to 30 mph. It's real wet and heavy snow, so you get a lot of slush on the roads and it just moves the vehicle around.'' A treacherous mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain swept parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New England Sunday, causing slick road conditions and numerous traffic accidents. Much of New England expected between 3 and 8 inches of snow, although more than a foot was predicted in some areas of the six-state region, the NWS said. Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut suffered a wet combination of rain and snow, while the northern states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont were cloaked with heavy snow. ``This is maybe the worst type of storm and probably the most expensive,'' said Thomas Jackvony, assistant director of the Rhode Island Transportation Department's maintenance division. ``When we get freezing rain, especially during the daytime, we have to keep treating the roads. ... I would just as soon have had 8 inches of snow.'' Temperatures were expected to dip to as low as 15 degrees below zero in the far north and into the 20s in southern New England. Snow was falling heavily in New Hampshire, where Waterville Valley Ski spokeswoman Cindy Paini said skiers were ``coming in droves.'' A cold front packing snow, heavy rain and gusty winds moved from the Pacific Ocean across Southern California Sunday. In the mountains snow was falling above 4,000 feet with 8 to 12 inches expected at the resort levels by nightfall. A winter storm warning was in effect for the east slopes of the central Sierra Nevada for snow and strong winds.