- A search was launched after an avalanche at Palisades Tahoe ski area in California.
- Streets are submerged in floodwaters in some communities in the Northeast.
- Another winter storm is hitting the Northwest.
At least one person is dead and another injured after an avalanche at Palisades Tahoe ski resort in Olympic Valley, California.
The incident happened at about 12:30 p.m. eastern time at the ski area, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the west side of Lake Tahoe. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the death in a Facebook post shortly before 5 p.m.
The avalanche came amid a series of winter storms passing over the country from west to east. Winter Storm Finn, in particular, dumped more than a foot of snow on the area.
Dangerous weather persists in multiple regions of the U.S. today, including ongoing flooding along the East Coast and another winter storm hammering the Northwest.
Here’s what’s happening now:
(5:40 p.m. ET) Video Shows Avalanche Rescue
KGO-TV shared video of a man being rescued from the avalanche at Palisades Tahoe. Rescuers can be seen digging in deep snow and clapping as their efforts are successful.
(5:29 p.m. ET) Tree Slices Through Massachusetts Home
A falling tree ripped through a home in Marshfield, Massachusetts. Aerial video shows the scene earlier today.
Marshfield is about 30 miles southeast of Boston. The area received rain on top of melting snow, which led to flooding, too.
(5:25 p.m. ET) More Than 230 Crashes In Kansas As Winter Weather Moves Through
State police in Kansas responded to more than 1,137 calls for service from Monday through this afternoon, including 237 crashes. Twenty-eight of those involved injuries, but there were no fatalities.
Dispatchers handled 4,519 calls and nearly 66,000 radio transmissions during that same time period.
(5:17 p.m. ET) All Persons Accounted For After Avalanche
From the Placer County Sheriff’s Office: “No further missing persons have been reported. More than 100 Palisades personnel participated in a beacon search, and two probe lines have been completed. The mountain is closed for the remainder of the day.
The avalanche debris field is approximately 150 feet wide, 450 feet long and 10 feet deep.”
(4:51 p.m. ET) Skier Describes Area Where The Avalanche Happened
Dan Lavely, 67, of Reno, is a season pass holder at Palisades Tahoe. On Monday, he skied mostly at neighboring Alpine Meadows because there was very little snow and the KT-22 lift, where the avalanche happened today, was closed.
“They didn’t have enough snow to open the lift, it wasn’t even running. … Today was supposed to be the first day they opened KT-22,” Lavely told The Associated Press.
The run hosted the grand slalom during the 1960 Olympics, according to Lavely.
“Really good skiers love it because it’s really steep,” he said. “I remember when I was really young I was skiing around there. I fell over and slid like two-thirds of the way down the mountain. There was no way to stop because it’s just so steep.”
(3:46 p.m. ET) Avalanche Happened Shortly After Resort Opened For The Day
The avalanche at Palisades Tahoe ski area happened around 9:30 a.m. local time, just 30 minutes after the resort opened. It happened below a lift called KT-22, in expert terrain on a “black diamond” run, according to The Associated Press. It wasn’t clear if that area was open for skiing Wednesday morning or not.
The resort closed for the rest of the day after the avalanche happened.
Palisades Tahoe, formerly called Squaw Valley, is about 40 miles west of Reno, Nevada.
(3:16 p.m. ET) More Resources Headed to Palisades Tahoe
The California governor’s office issued this statement via social media a few minutes ago: “The state is monitoring and standing by to assist with the avalanche reported at Palisades in Tahoe. “@CAL_FIRE is moving resources and personnel to help with rescue efforts and will continue close coordination with Olympic Valley and Placer County.”
(3:14 p.m. ET) Winds Gusted In Excess Of 100 MPH In Areas Near Avalanche
A wind gust of 94 mph was recorded yesterday at the summit of Palisades Tahoe ski area, where searchers are currently on the scene of an avalanche. A gust of 110 mph was recorded at the summit of neighboring Alpine Meadows
(3:05 p.m. ET) No Word On Injuries In Palisades Avalanche
There is no immediate word on whether anyone was injured or killed.
Placer County sheriff spokesperson Sgt. David Smith told The Associated Press that there are “no confirmed reports” of people trapped.
(2:49 p.m. ET) Multiple Agencies Responding To Palisades Tahoe Avalanche
Video from the scene shows the Placer County Sheriff, Olympic Valley Fire Department, North Tahoe Fire District Paramedics and Truckee Fire Rescue among the agencies responding to the avalanche amid windy, blowing snow.
(2:29 p.m. ET) Avalanches Claim More Than Two Dozen Lives Every Winter
An average of 27 people died in avalanches in each of the last 10 winters in the U.S., according to numbers tracked by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The winter of 2020-2021 was one of the deadliest in records dating back 70 years.
(2:15 p.m. ET) Winter Storms Add To Avalanche Risk
From weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles: The snow that is coming from Gerri is now adding a distinct third layer of snow in the Sierra. The first was a crusty layer that fell around January 2, then Finn dropped some heavier snow, now Gerri is adding new fresh snow. Each layer could dislodge and slide down slopes as new snow falls and weighs all the other layers down. Additionally, wind coming with Gerri could help push snow around and help it slide and compact, leading to a slightly higher avalanche risk.
(1:59 p.m. ET) Avalanche Search Underway At Palisades Tahoe Ski Area
An avalanche occurred earlier today at Palisades Tahoe ski area in Olympic Valley, California.
“Our patrol and mountain operations teams are performing a search at this time,” spokesperson Patrick Lacey told us in an email moments ago.
The area received 21 inches of snow in the past week, including 13 inches from Winter Storm Finn. Winter Storm Gerri is moving into the area now.
(12:42 p.m. ET) Winter Storm Gerri Will Continue To Trek East
From weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: We’re expecting Gerri to start to spread snow into the Plains by tomorrow, and then tomorrow night we expect thunderstorms to develop in parts of eastern Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
This follows a similar path as Winter Storm Finn earlier this week, so there’s some deja vu here.
Check the latest forecasts here:
–Another Round Of Snow, Wind From The West To Midwest, Northeast
-Severe Storms Could Produce New Round Of Tornadoes, Wind Damage In The South Late Week
(12:04 p.m. ET) Dam Concerns Prompt Evacuation Order In Norwich, Connecticut
The city of Norwich is issuing a mandatory evacuation order for some residents due to “dam conditions” on the Yantic River, according to an update from the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The order applies to all areas along the river from the Bozrah town line to Backus Hospital.
A local middle school is open as a shelter.
This is the same area where officials said a dam could be in danger of collapsing.
(11:46 a.m. ET) Vehicles Submerged In NYC Metro
Streets are covered and vehicles submerged in water in Lodi, New Jersey, west of New York City. About 2.5 inches of rain has fallen there in the past 24 hours, forcing the Saddle River to overflow its banks.
The town’s Main Street is completely underwater and some residents have been forced from their homes.
Cars are submerged in an area near the Saddle River in Lodi, New Jersey, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
(10:30 a.m. ET) Evacuations Advised Near Connecticut Dam
Officials in Connecticut have issued a “precautionary evacuation” for Stockhouse Road in Bozrah, Connecticut. An update from the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security said the alert was issued “due to an incident at the Fitchville Pond Dam.”
Earlier, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning amid concerns that a dam would fail along the Yantic River in Bozrah.
(9:45 a.m. ET) Flooding Seen Along New Hampshire Coast
Drone video showed the scene earlier this hour along Hampton Beach in New Hampshire, where seafoam and water poured over roads.
(9:20 a.m. ET) Two More Deaths Blamed On Storm System
The Associated Press said two deaths in the Midwest were due to slushy conditions brought on by Winter Storm Finn, raising the death toll to five for the storm system as a whole.
The two deaths occurred in Wisconsin and Michigan; the AP did not immediately have further details.
(8:20 a.m. ET) Dam Failure ‘Imminent’ In Connecticut
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning in Bozrah, Connecticut, amid concerns that a dam would fail along the Yantic River. Residents near Fitchville Pond were urged to stay off the roads, but according to local reports, some residents were stranded amid the flooding.
Norwich Public Schools were closed for the day, and the local utility company had to go offline due to the flooding, which is expected to leave some 5,000 customers in the dark.
(7:45 a.m. ET) Water Rescues In Maryland
Officials in Prince George’s County, Maryland said on X, formerly Twitter, that at least 10 people had to be rescued from rising floodwaters last night and this morning. One of those rescued had to be hospitalized in critical condition. No further details were provided.
(7:25 a.m. ET) Floodwaters Rise In Northeast
Along the Northeast coast, several towns are reporting serious flooding this morning. Here are a few examples:
West Warwick, Rhode Island
Lindenhurst, New York
Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
(7:05 a.m. ET) Outages Rising In Northeast
As strong winds buffet the Northeast and a mixture of rain and snowmelt triggers flooding, power outages are rising across the region. According to PowerOutage.us, nearly 150,000 homes and businesses are without power in New York, and more than 100,000 customers are in the dark in Pennsylvania.
In total, nearly 600,000 customers have lost power from New England down to Florida as a result of Winter Storm Finn’s multiple weather hazards.
(6:45 a.m. ET) Hundreds Of Flights Canceled Again Today
According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, it’s going to be another brutal day for air travel across the country. Already, more than 600 flights have been canceled, and 600 more have been delayed.
And it’s happening all over the country – delays are being reported at airports in the Northeast as well as in Chicago, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco and Denver. So it’s a very good idea to keep a close eye on any developments if you’re flying today.
This comes a day after a whopping 1,465 flights were canceled and 9,238 were delayed, according to FlightAware data.
(6:30 a.m. ET) Potential Tornado Heavily Damages South Carolina Town
Tornado damage is seen in Bamberg, South Carolina, on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.
(Bryce Shelton/LSM)
The downtown area of Bamberg, South Carolina, was left in ruins, possibly by a tornado, yesterday afternoon. Brick buildings were blown apart by the powerful winds, blocking the main street that runs through the town of 3,600 that’s located about 55 miles south of Columbia.
Democratic Rep. Justin Bamberg, who represents the area, told the Associated Press that about 40 of the town’s buildings were damaged or destroyed, and that included homes.
“We’re really sad,” Bamberg Mayor Nancy Foster told WJBF.com. “I’m really sad about the downtown. We’re passionate about downtown and having a lot of things going on; in fact there was a business in the bottom of that building and the owner was putting apartments or offices upstairs and he had started that process and it’s completely destroyed.”
No injuries were reported in Bamberg following the storm. The National Weather Service will survey the damage today to determine whether or not the damage was caused by a tornado.
To read Tuesday’s live updates page, click here.
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