Avalanche at California ski resort as snow and gusts hit west after deadly storms strike eastern US

Rescue teams are searching a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe following an avalanche – as a major storm with snow and gusty winds moved into the region.

It comes after a series of powerful winter storms swept through parts of the eastern US and Canada, claiming the lives of at least five people and leaving more than half a million people without power.

The avalanche in California took place around 9.30am at Palisades Tahoe, according to the resort.

The mountain was closed for the day, with weather experts recording 110mph (177kph) gusts on Tuesday afternoon at the summit of Alpine Meadows, the neighbouring sister resort of Palisades.

Sergeant David Smith, a spokesperson for the Placer County sheriff, told The Associated Press there were “no confirmed reports” of people trapped in the avalanche, but search teams were assessing the area.

It comes as a storm sweeps across the country towards the west coast of the US, following a series of strong winter storms in the east of the country.

Near Cottonwood, Alabama, a small city near the Georgia and Florida borders, an 81-year-old woman was killed when her mobile home was tossed from its foundation, the Houston County coroner said.

A suspected tornado had touched down in the area.

Police in Clayton County, south of Atlanta, said a man died during heavy rain when a tree fell on his car on a state road in Jonesboro.

Another man was also crushed to death by a tree that came down in Birmingham, Alabama, on Tuesday morning, local media, citing local officials, reported.

Authorities in Missouri said a 17-year-old female driver from Rolla was killed Tuesday evening after she lost control of the car, struck a portion of the overpass, and then was hit by a tractor-trailer.

In North Carolina, one person died and two others were in critical condition after a suspected tornado struck a mobile home park in the town of Claremont, north of Charlotte, said Amy McCauley, a spokesperson for Catawba County.

Storm-related injuries were reported in Florida, but no deaths.

Meanwhile, more than 630,000 households in the eastern US, from Florida to New York State, were without electricity, as of Tuesday evening.

New Jersey governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency and New York City officials evacuated nearly 2,000 migrants housed at a sprawling tent complex.

In Maine, Governor Janet Mills delayed the opening of all state offices until noon on Wednesday due to the storm.

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Rain and high winds extended into the nation’s capital, forcing vice president Kamala Harris’s aircraft to divert from Joint Base Andrews to Dulles International Airport near Washington when it encountered wind shear, a sudden shift in wind direction or speed.

Many areas of Florida remained under flood watches, warnings and advisories early Wednesday morning amid concerns that streams and rivers were topping their banks.

Governor Ron DeSantis, who gave his State of the State address as tornado warnings were active outside the Capitol, issued an executive order to include 49 counties in North Florida under a state of emergency.

The storm also caused severe coastal flooding in New Hampshire, and in Bamberg, South Carolina, a possible tornado knocked down several old brick storefronts.

Another storm that began on Monday buried cities across the Midwest in snow, stranding people on roads.

Some areas saw up to a foot of snow on Monday, including Kansas, eastern Nebraska and South Dakota, western Iowa, and southwestern Minnesota.

In southeastern Wisconsin, an SUV driver died on Tuesday in a head-on collision with a semitrailer on a slushy, snowy state highway, authorities said.

In western Michigan, a 35-year-old woman died after she lost control of her minivan on a slushy road and it collided with an SUV, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.

The ambulance taking her to a Grand Rapids hospital, where she was pronounced dead, was struck by another vehicle en route there, and a second ambulance was needed to finish the transport to the hospital.

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