Natural gas shortages slam many European nations

By (AP)

Severe weather, including heavy rain and thunderstorms, was expected in the upper Mississippi Valley and upper Great Lakes regions on Thursday. Strong winds, large hail and tornadoes were forecast for a widespread area.

Precipitation was not expected in the Northeast, but temperatures were forecast to approach 100 degrees.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms were expected in the Southeast. Gusty winds, frequent lightning and heavy rain were likely.

The Pacific Northwest was to see drier weather and seasonal temperatures.

In the Southwest, hot and dry conditions...

By Andy Wong (AP)

General Motors Corp. said Tuesday its 2008 sales in China rose 6 percent to 1.09 million vehicles, but the growth rate slowed as consumers held back amid the economic downturn.

GM is looking to China\'s booming auto market to drive global sales growth as North American demand slumps. In 2007, the Detroit-based automaker\'s sales rose 19 percent, including joint ventures.

\"A series of natural disasters and an increase in fuel prices earlier in the year exacerbated the impact of the global economic downturn in China,\" Kevin Wale, president of GM China, said in a...

By David Duprey (AP)

Winter storm warnings and plummeting temperatures put a chill on New Year\'s Eve plans for hundreds of thousands of revelers.

Thousands of homes and businesses in the Midwest had no electric lights for the holiday because of wind damage.

Temperatures in the teens _ with wind chills below zero _ were forecast for midnight and the annual ball drop in New York\'s Times Square and for the First Night celebration in Boston, where up to 11 inches of snow was forecast with wind gusting to 45 mph.

However, that was almost mild compared to the upper Midwest, which started the...

By David Duprey (AP)

Winter storm warnings and plummeting temperatures put a chill on New Year\'s Eve plans for hundreds of thousands of revelers.

Thousands of homes and businesses in the Midwest had no electric lights for the holiday because of wind damage.

Temperatures in the teens _ with wind chills below zero _ were forecast for midnight and the annual ball drop in New York\'s Times Square and for the First Night celebration in Boston.

However, that was almost mild compared to the upper Midwest, which started the day with temperatures as low as 23 below zero in Fargo, N.D., and 24 below...

By Michael Hollenbeck (AP)

Utilities in Michigan scrambled Monday to restore power knocked out by a gusty weekend storm as rain and melting snow caused flooding there and in other parts of the Midwest.

About 177,000 customers were without electricity in Michigan, down from more than 400,000 on Sunday, according to the state\'s utilities. Some could remain without power until Wednesday because of Sunday\'s storm, which carried winds gusting more than 60 mph.

Flood warnings were posted throughout the Midwest as temperatures rose after a week of heavy snowfall. Forecasters said flooding was possible in...

By Toby Talbot (AP)

Crews were working to restore electricity to nearly 200,000 Michigan homes and businesses early Monday, a day after strong winds knocked down tree limbs and power lines, while residents in parts of the Northwest braced for another winter storm.

Meanwhile, flood warnings were posted throughout the Midwest as temperatures rose after a week of heavy snowfall. Forecasters said flooding was possible in areas of Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and northwest Ohio.

Winter storm warnings were issued throughout the Northwest, which has been hammered by storms in recent...

By Ed Ballotts (AP)

Crews were working to restore electricity to nearly 200,000 Michigan homes and businesses early Monday, a day after strong winds knocked down tree limbs and power lines, while residents in parts of the Northwest braced for another winter storm.

Meanwhile, flood warnings were posted throughout the Midwest as temperatures rose after a week of heavy snowfall. Forecasters said flooding was possible in areas of Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and northwest Ohio.

Winter storm warnings were issued throughout the Northwest, which has been hammered by storms in recent...

By (AP)

Temperatures and weather conditions during the 24-hour period ending at 7 a.m. EST today.

Hi Lo Wthr

Amsterdam 39 35 rn

Athens 55 48 rn

Auckland 69 60 clr

Baghdad 53 33 clr

Bahrain 61 46 clr

Bangkok 86 69 pc

Barbados 84 77 clr

Barcelona 51 40 pc

Beijing 32 15 clr

Beirut 67 50 pc

Belgrade 23 13 cdy

Berlin 33 32 sn

Bermuda 68 64 pc

Bogota...

By (AP)

A mud slide destroyed a home Friday, briefly trapping its occupants, and flooding, mud and deep snow blocked roads as the latest winter storm pummeled the Northwest.

Residents of a home in suburban Lake Oswego called 911 early Friday saying they were trapped after mud flowed into their home, filling the first floor. They escaped out a window and were taken to a hospital, said deputy Fire Marshall Gert Zoutendijk. He said their lives were not in danger.

Authorities said 21 nearby homes were evacuated.

Outside Portland in Clackamas County, about 30 families were evacuated...

By (AP)

A mud slide destroyed a home Friday, briefly trapping its occupants, and flooding, mud and deep snow blocked roads as the latest winter storm pummeled the Northwest.

Residents of a home in suburban Lake Oswego called 911 early Friday saying they were trapped after mud flowed into their home, filling the first floor. They escaped out a window and were taken to a hospital, said deputy Fire Marshall Gert Zoutendijk. He said their lives were not in danger.

Authorities said 21 nearby homes were evacuated.

Outside Portland in Clackamas County, about 30 families were evacuated...

By (AP)

Nepalese investigators probing a plane crash near Mount Everest have blamed the pilots for the accident that killed 18 people, a report said Thursday.

The report said the two pilots misjudged deteriorating weather conditions and flew inside a patch of fog while trying to land at Lukla airport, which is carved into the side of the Himalayas at an altitude of 9,200 feet (2,800 meters).

The DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter plane belonging to Yeti Airlines then hit a rock on the side of the runway and burst into flames on Oct. 8.

The investigators interviewed several...

By (AP)

The stage was set for avalanches that have killed 19 people in western North America in two weeks by fall weather that created slick, unstable, icy slabs on mountains across the region, avalanche experts say.

Snow that fell in October and November provided an unstable base for heavy snows that fell across the West in December. Occasional rain and changing weather conditions provided additional layers that have made it easier for huge walls of snow to cleave off and plummet down the mountain.

\"There\'s something very tricky and very weird about the snow conditions this year...

By (AP)

Authorities say a Roman Catholic priest in northern Virginia was killed by a falling tree while trying to clear another fallen tree from a road during windy weather.

The Loudoun (LOW-duhn) County Sheriff\'s Office says the Rev. Michael C. Kelly got out of his car Wednesday to try moving a tree and another motorist stopped to help.

A second tree then fell, striking and killing the 53-year-old priest.

Kelly was the pastor at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville, about 40 miles west of Washington.

Wintry weather and high winds have knocked down trees...

By (AP)

The farmer camps in a crude tent of broken sandbags as he guards the foundation of his destroyed home and his last possessions: a pickax, a hoe and some charcoal.

This is the third time Olisten Elerius is preparing to build his tiny cinderblock house. Four years ago, Tropical Storm Jeanne flooded it and drowned his father, sister and nephew. Then, late this summer, Tropical Storm Hanna swallowed it along with his daughter and another sister. It could happen again.

After Jeanne struck in 2004, more than $70 million in aid went to immediate relief such as food, medical aid and...

By (AP)

Part of a supermarket roof has collapsed as a winter storm pounds eastern Washington.

Fire officials say no one was trapped in the debris after the collapse Monday in Spokane. It isn\'t immediately clear whether anyone is injured.

Authorities say about 20,000 square feet of the roof fell at a Rosauers Supermarket. Employees and customers were evacuated and accounted for.

Authorities are evacuating nearby businesses.

___

Information from: The Spokesman-Review,

http://www.spokesmanreview.com