Weird, wintry weather in much of U.S.

Jamie Ritzel of Detroit clears the gutters near a stranded snow removal truck in front of his home on Sunday

In this story: 'It is unusual' Midwest: Wind chill at 30 below zero Shivering south West: Deadly avalanche, closed highways RELATED STORIES, SITES

(CNN) -- With winter still officially four days off, freezing weather Monday had a grip on much of the United States.

Wide stretches of the upper Midwest are under snow or winter storm advisories, with several inches of snow expected in Des Moines, Chicago and Milwaukee and elsewhere in the region.

And more snow could be coming to parts of the deep South, which was hit over the weekend by severe storms and unusually cold temperatures. (See current National Weather Service advisories).

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Quirky weather over the weekend brought a deadly tornado to Alabama while the Northeast had a combination of record warmth and flooding.

Boston hit 64 degrees on Sunday, breaking the record of 62 set in 1984. At the same time, wind gusting to 50 mph caused power outages across New England and nearly toppled a church steeple in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

"It is unusual," said Charlie Foley, a weather service meteorologist in Taunton, Massachusetts. "Normally, we don't start off with the copious amounts of precipitation and the numerous thunderstorms. This is very atypical weather for December."

In New Bedford, fire crews used a crane to try to stabilize the steeple at Our Lady of Fatima Church, finally lowering it to the ground after wind left it leaning precariously.

The rain triggered floodwaters as high as 3 feet in Pittsfield and other areas of western Massachusetts.

Heavy rains prompted the declaration of states of emergency in 10 communities in New Jersey and New York. In Albany, New York, where more than 4.5 inches of rain fell, city schools were closed Monday.

Wind and lightning left 9,000 people without power in New Jersey, and gusts reached 70 mph in Keansburg, near the New Jersey shore.

Up to 9.5 inches of snow fell in Michigan, leading to the partial collapse Sunday of a roof at a Ramada Inn near Flint.

In Indiana, where wind chill readings reached 30 degrees below zero early Sunday, a man was found dead near Interstate 65, apparently from exposure. "His car was found on the interstate where it looked like he had slid off. From there it seemed he tried to walk to get help," said Ryan Batts of the Boone County Sheriff's Department.

Firemen rescue two people Sunday at Schuylerville, New York, from a flooded area near the Hudson River in Washington County

In the South, tornadoes that ripped through Alabama on Saturday left 12 people dead. Most victims died in Tuscaloosa, where the twister's path was 12 miles long and more than a third of a mile wide. Dozens of people were injured. The state has requested federal disaster assistance.

The same storm system is blamed for blowing down trees and causing flooding and scattered power outages in Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia.

By Sunday, a cold front that moved into the South drove temperatures down more than 50 degrees in a few hours.

Thousands of East Texas residents who lost electricity during ice storms may not have power for weeks, utility company officials said. In Arkansas, crews worked to restore power to more than 100,000 customers.

Tim Bullock and Emilee Bunker dig snow caves in McCammon, Idaho, Sunday

In Montana, where bitterly cold temperatures had weakened the snowpack, two snowmobilers were killed in an avalanche Sunday.

A rash of accidents in Wyoming led to the closing of parts of Interstate 80, U.S. 30 and U.S. 85.

In Colorado, blowing snow kicked up by gusts of up to 60 mph severely reduced visibility, forcing the closing of a stretch of Interstate 70.

Want relief? The weird, wintry weather stayed far from Southern California, where people flocked to beaches Sunday to enjoy record-high temperatures in the upper 80s.

The heat wave is expected to continue Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Snow, wind chill U.S. heartland
December 17, 2000
Ten dead in Alabama tornado
December 16, 2000
Harsh weather in U.S. Midwest expected to snowball this weekend
December 15, 2000
Wintry blast hits Northeast U.S., disrupts travel
December 14, 2000
Ice storm coats parts of Southern U.S.
December 13, 2000
Wintry weather from Texas to Northeast; Midwest digs out
December 12, 2000

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