Not less than 42 killed in Christmas storm tornadoes in U.S

Storms hit the U.S. South,
Southwest and Midwest over the Christmas holiday
weekend, unleashing floods and tornadoes that
killed at least 43 people, flattened buildings and
snarled transportation for millions during a busy
travel time.
The bad weather, or the threat of it, prompted the
governors of Missouri and New Mexico to declare a
state of emergency for their states.
Flash floods killed at least 13 people in Missouri
and Illinois.
In Missouri, emergency workers have evacuated
residents from their homes and conducted dozens
of water rescues, Governor Jay Nixon said on
Sunday. He said at least eight people had been
killed and numerous roadways had been closed.
Nixon declared a state of emergency, saying
continued rains would make already widespread
flooding conditions worse.
Three adults and two children were near the village
of Patoka, Illinois, 85 miles (137 km) east of St.
Louis, Missouri, when their car was washed away
by floodwaters on Saturday night, according to
Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon.
In Texas, at least 11 people were killed in the
Dallas area over the weekend by tornadoes,
including one packing winds of up to 200 miles per
hour (322 km per hour). The twister hit the city of
Garland, killing eight people and blowing vehicles
off highways.
"It is total devastation," Garland Police spokesman
Lieutenant Pedro Barineau said. "It is a very difficult
time to be struck by such a horrible storm the day
after Christmas."
Three other deaths were reported in the Dallas
metropolitan area, the United States' fourth most
populous with about 7 million residents. Scores of
people were injured in the region and officials
estimated some 800 homes may have been
damaged.
Powerful tornadoes are a staple of spring and
summer in central states but occur less frequently
in winter, according to U.S. weather data
Three tornadoes were reported in Arkansas on
Sunday, the weather service said, but there were no
initial reports of significant injuries or damage.
The service has issued tornado watches and
warnings for areas in that state, as well as in parts
of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi.
A tornado watch means a storm is likely, while a
warning means a storm or storms have been
sighted.
The storms came on the heels of tornadoes that hit
two days before Christmas, killing at least 18
people, including 10 in Mississippi.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott said his office had
declared Dallas County and three nearby counties
disaster areas. He also warned people to be wary
of snow in western parts of the state and rivers
spilling their banks in other places.
The National Weather Service issued severe weather
advisories for large parts of the central United
States, including a blizzard warning for parts of
New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and a flash flood
watch stretching from Texas to Indiana.
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez declared a
state of emergency for the entire state due to a
winter storm that had dumped up to two feet of
snow by Sunday night.
The New Mexico city of Roswell bested its one-day
snowfall record, receiving 12.3 inches by Sunday
evening, the Weather Service said.
The bad weather forced the cancellation of nearly
1,500 flights in the nation on Sunday, according to
tracking service FlightAware.com. About half of the
canceled flights were in Dallas, a major U.S. flight
hub.