Weather

AFP - Heavy rain pounded the northwest US state of Washington Thursday, flooding roads, triggering mudslides and leaving millions of residents cut off from the rest of the country.

AP - A 64-year-old woman whose heart stopped beating and body temperature dropped to a dangerous 60 degrees after she was stuck in the cold for hours has survived — and her recovery amazed doctors.

Reuters - The U.S. Climate Prediction Center said Thursday that it sees the cool water conditions for the La Nina weather anomaly in the Pacific Ocean likely continuing into spring and possibly through the first half of 2009.

AP - More than 30,000 people were urged to leave their flood-endangered western Washington homes as snowmelt and rain swelled rivers and caused mudslides and avalanches that engulfed neighborhoods and roadways.

Reuters - China is preparing to tackle paralyzed roads and railways if icy weather seizes the south and center in a possible repeat of last year's gridlock just as millions head home for the Lunar New Year holiday.

AP - Heavy rain across the South on Wednesday caused flooding, school and road closures and a landslide that destroyed a home in North Carolina.

AP - Freezing temperatures and exceptional snowfall caused travel delays Wednesday across Europe and were blamed for at least 12 deaths, including that of a man in Milan who was crushed when a canopy collapsed under the weight of snow.

Reuters - The U.S. Northeast and Midwest can expect an extended winter chill, including bitter cold temperatures next week, that should boost demand for home heating fuels, forecasters and oil traders said on Tuesday.

AP - Weather around the U.S.A.