Storms pound North America on both coasts

Channel NewsAsia 4 Dec 07;

MONTREAL - Major storms pounded North America's Atlantic and Pacific coasts Monday, grounding flights, forcing schools to close and creating dangerous road conditions that have left at least nine people dead.

Snow forced severe flight delays at major airports in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, while children stayed home as hundreds of schools closed in eastern Canada.

Nearly all flights were cancelled or delayed at the international airport of Montreal, where 24 centimetres (9.5 inches) fell overnight.

Up to 35 centimetres of snow was expected in parts of Canada's eastern provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

The storm lashed the US Midwest over the weekend before striking the northeastern United States and Canada.

Slick and icy roads caused traffic pileups and accidents across the United States, leaving four people dead in Michigan, three in Wisconsin, one in Indiana and another in New Jersey, according to local newspapers.

The Pacific northwest was also pounded by a major early winter storm.

The state of Washington took a beating from a wintry mix of powerful winds, heavy rain and massive snow fall, all resulting in mudslides, flooding and avalanches, the US National Weather Service said.

"You name it, we have it," NWS meteorologist Brad Colman told AFP.

Hurricane-force winds of up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour, with gusts of 135 kph (85 mph), were recorded off the Washington coast, while at least one river flooded with more expected to overflow, Colman said.

Sixty centimetres to one meter (two to three feet) of snow fell in the Cascades mountain range, triggering avalanches that forced one major state road to shut down, he said.

Heavy rain also caused major traffic woes with water rising up to 1.2 meters (four feet). "It has been a traffic nightmare," Colman said, adding that no injuries were reported.

The NWS issued flood and heavy snow warnings for parts of Oregon and Washington state. Snow warnings were also in effect in Idaho and parts of Montana.

Powerful winds and heavy rains also pounded Canada's Pacific coast city of Vancouver, while Alberta province was hit by a polar cold.- AFP /ls