Frozen nation: At least 10 dead as cold, ice and snow grip US

 Deadly weather has gripped the U.S., cancelling flights and causing deaths. The cold weather is expected to continue, with snow and ice in the forecast. NBC's Mark Potter and TODAY's Dylan Dreyer report.By M. Alex Johnson and Erin McClam, NBC NewsArctic air, snow and freezing rain was expected across parts of the U.S. Saturday from California to the Northeast, as the winter storm that has killed 11 people continues to wreak havoc.The Weather Channel forecast rain, freezing temperatures and snow in areas from the Golden State into the southern Rockies on Saturday and then a lighter dusting in the Midwest by Sunday -- but the dangerous threat of more freezing rain. Temperatures as low as 27 degrees were expected in usually mild Las Vegas and surrounding areas, while New England was set to get the tail end by Monday.The deaths of at least 11 people — including three in California and the mayor of a small Missouri town — were blamed on the deep freeze, which canceled hundreds of flights and left hundreds of thousands of people without power.The Santa Clara County, Calif., Sheriff's Office said hypothermia — an extremely low body temperature — had killed three people since frigid conditions rolled in late Wednesday, NBC Bay Area reported. An earlier report from the medical examiner's office said four people had died, but it included a person who was found dead last week, before the current weather system hit the region.With icy conditions stretching almost coast to coast, the cold blast was blamed for deaths as far east as Indiana, where a woman died in a four-vehicle crash in Wayne County, and as far south as Arkansas, where an ice-coated tree fell on the camper housing a 62-year-old man in Pope County, authorities told NBC News.  Stephen Lance Dennee / AP A man helps pull a motorist from the ditch in Paducah, Ky., as snow falls Friday.Other weather-related deaths:Ronald Arnall, mayor of Granby, Mo., died when his truck slid off icy State Route 97 and struck a tree Wednesday in Lawrence County, the State Highway Patrol said. A 16-year-old girl was killed when she lost control of her car on a slush-covered road a quarter-mile from school Wednesday in Lakeville, Minn., police said. The car slid sideways and was struck broadside by a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.A 55-year-old man was killed when he was ejected from a car that lost control Wednesday on a highway near Sioux City, Iowa. The car crossed the median of the highway, which was 100 percent ice-covered, and was struck by a freight truck traveling in the other direction, the Iowa State Patrol said.A man was discovered dead under an overpass Wednesday in subfreezing temperatures in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.The body of a man was found behind a convenience store Wednesday night in Carson City, Nev., after temperatures fell into the single digits, the coroner's office said.A driver was killed when his car slammed into a truck Friday in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, police said.North Texas was especially hard hit: About 165,000 people were still left in the dark Friday night after sleet weighed down power lines and snapped tree branches. Dallas called off its marathon for this weekend, with many of the thousands of expected runners unable to get there.More than 1,600 flights were canceled at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. And sister airlines American and American Eagle, which are based in Fort Worth, canceled about 1,370 flights across the country because of the weather in Texas."We are far from over here," said Jim Cantore, a storm tracker for The Weather Channel. With a morning low forecast to be 17 degrees, the Dallas area could have "big problems, especially with these winds continuing to blow everything around."Five states had recorded at least 2½ feet of snow since Wednesday. The highest total was 35 inches, near Two Harbors, Minn.Winter storm warnings covered parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. The manager of a Home Depot store in Dallas concluded: "It's almost like a Black Friday. But I guess we'll call it an Ice Friday."Full coverage from The Weather ChannelThe dangerous ice storm that's sweeping the country is causing cars to slide across slick streets, and low temperatures are preventing the ice from melting. TODAY's Dylan Dreyer reports. Only a slice of the East Coast was spared the winter blast. Elsewhere, the story was ice, snow and brutal cold.Big Sky Country suffered double-take temperatures Friday. It was 23 degrees below zero in Laramie, Wyo., and felt like 41 below. In Helena, Mont., the mercury fell to 10 below, with a wind child of minus-29.The big chill extended to parts of the country much less accustomed to it. Parts of Nevada were at 18 below zero, and parts of Oregon were at 9 degrees. In Flagstaff, Ariz., the temperature just before dawn was 7.Even "sunny" Southern California wasn't being spared — the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Riverside and San Bernardino counties beginning Saturday morning.Farmers pumped water into the soil to keep it from freezing and used wind machines to blow mild air across the citrus crop, most of which is still on the vine. Citrus in California is a $2 billion industry. Lettuce and avocados were also in danger."They're like a popsicle inside," a farmer told NBC Los Angeles after his persimmons froze.Farther east, the danger was more immediate. Half a foot of snow fell on southern Illinois and 3½ inches on the Indianapolis airport, with 5 to 8 inches more expected throughout the Friday.Driving conditions were dangerous in many parts of the country:As many as 12 vehicles piled up on the icy Red River Bridge in North Dakota between between Fargo and Moorhead on Friday, causing almost a dozen others to spin out, NBC station KVLY of Fargo reported. Two were being treated at hospitals.Ice on a state road sent a woman skidding and tumbling into a yard in Germantown, Ohio, where her car came to rest upside down, NBC station WDTN of Dayton reported. She was wearing her seat belt and wasn't injured.An Arkansas state trooper was injured Friday morning when a pick-up truck slid off Interstate 40 near Stuttgart and rammed into his patrol car. The trooper, whose injuries were't life-threatening, was sitting in the car alongside the freeway finishing up an investigation of an earlier wreck, the state patrol said.The bad weather forced the cancellation Saturday of the ceremonies marking the 72nd anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the lighting of the state Capitol in Little Rock, neither of which will be rescheduled. More than 40,000 people were without power across the state Friday, NBC station KARK reported.By the time the storm marches east, to the population centers of the Northeast, it is mostly expected to dump rain, making for a wet weekend in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.For the West, a second punch was on the way. A storm system was descending on the West Coast from Alaska, expected to dump snow on coastal Oregon and Northern California on Friday, and the Sierra Nevada range on Saturday.Then it will head for the Midwest, which is in for a "double whammy" of winter weather Sunday, said Michael Palmer, a lead meteorologist for The Weather Channel.Christopher Essner, Azhar Fateh and Alexander Smith of NBC News contribbuted to this report.Related:This story was originally published on Fri Dec 6, 2013 5:49 AM EST

Frozen nation: At least 11 dead as cold, ice and snow grip US

 Deadly weather has gripped the U.S., cancelling flights and causing deaths. The cold weather is expected to continue, with snow and ice in the forecast. NBC's Mark Potter and TODAY's Dylan Dreyer report.By M. Alex Johnson and Erin McClam, NBC NewsArctic air, snow and freezing rain was expected across parts of the U.S. Saturday from California to the Northeast, as the winter storm that has killed 11 people continues to wreak havoc.The Weather Channel forecast rain, freezing temperatures and snow in areas from the Golden State into the southern Rockies on Saturday and then a lighter dusting in the Midwest by Sunday -- but the dangerous threat of more freezing rain. Temperatures as low as 27 degrees were expected in usually mild Las Vegas and surrounding areas, while New England was set to get the tail end by Monday.The deaths of at least 11 people — including three in California and the mayor of a small Missouri town — were blamed on the deep freeze, which canceled hundreds of flights and left hundreds of thousands of people without power.The Santa Clara County, Calif., Sheriff's Office said hypothermia — an extremely low body temperature — had killed three people since frigid conditions rolled in late Wednesday, NBC Bay Area reported. An earlier report from the medical examiner's office said four people had died, but it included a person who was found dead last week, before the current weather system hit the region.With icy conditions stretching almost coast to coast, the cold blast was blamed for deaths as far east as Indiana, where a woman died in a four-vehicle crash in Wayne County, and as far south as Arkansas, where an ice-coated tree fell on the camper housing a 62-year-old man in Pope County, authorities told NBC News.  Stephen Lance Dennee / AP A man helps pull a motorist from the ditch in Paducah, Ky., as snow falls Friday.Other weather-related deaths:Ronald Arnall, mayor of Granby, Mo., died when his truck slid off icy State Route 97 and struck a tree Wednesday in Lawrence County, the State Highway Patrol said. A 16-year-old girl was killed when she lost control of her car on a slush-covered road a quarter-mile from school Wednesday in Lakeville, Minn., police said. The car slid sideways and was struck broadside by a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.A 55-year-old man was killed when he was ejected from a car that lost control Wednesday on a highway near Sioux City, Iowa. The car crossed the median of the highway, which was 100 percent ice-covered, and was struck by a freight truck traveling in the other direction, the Iowa State Patrol said.A man was discovered dead under an overpass Wednesday in subfreezing temperatures in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.The body of a man was found behind a convenience store Wednesday night in Carson City, Nev., after temperatures fell into the single digits, the coroner's office said.A driver was killed when his car slammed into a truck Friday in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, police said.North Texas was especially hard hit: About 165,000 people were still left in the dark Friday night after sleet weighed down power lines and snapped tree branches. Dallas called off its marathon for this weekend, with many of the thousands of expected runners unable to get there.More than 1,600 flights were canceled at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. And sister airlines American and American Eagle, which are based in Fort Worth, canceled about 1,370 flights across the country because of the weather in Texas."We are far from over here," said Jim Cantore, a storm tracker for The Weather Channel. With a morning low forecast to be 17 degrees, the Dallas area could have "big problems, especially with these winds continuing to blow everything around."Five states had recorded at least 2½ feet of snow since Wednesday. The highest total was 35 inches, near Two Harbors, Minn.Winter storm warnings covered parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. The manager of a Home Depot store in Dallas concluded: "It's almost like a Black Friday. But I guess we'll call it an Ice Friday."Full coverage from The Weather ChannelThe dangerous ice storm that's sweeping the country is causing cars to slide across slick streets, and low temperatures are preventing the ice from melting. TODAY's Dylan Dreyer reports. Only a slice of the East Coast was spared the winter blast. Elsewhere, the story was ice, snow and brutal cold.Big Sky Country suffered double-take temperatures Friday. It was 23 degrees below zero in Laramie, Wyo., and felt like 41 below. In Helena, Mont., the mercury fell to 10 below, with a wind child of minus-29.The big chill extended to parts of the country much less accustomed to it. Parts of Nevada were at 18 below zero, and parts of Oregon were at 9 degrees. In Flagstaff, Ariz., the temperature just before dawn was 7.Even "sunny" Southern California wasn't being spared — the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Riverside and San Bernardino counties beginning Saturday morning.Farmers pumped water into the soil to keep it from freezing and used wind machines to blow mild air across the citrus crop, most of which is still on the vine. Citrus in California is a $2 billion industry. Lettuce and avocados were also in danger."They're like a popsicle inside," a farmer told NBC Los Angeles after his persimmons froze.Farther east, the danger was more immediate. Half a foot of snow fell on southern Illinois and 3½ inches on the Indianapolis airport, with 5 to 8 inches more expected throughout the Friday.Driving conditions were dangerous in many parts of the country:As many as 12 vehicles piled up on the icy Red River Bridge in North Dakota between between Fargo and Moorhead on Friday, causing almost a dozen others to spin out, NBC station KVLY of Fargo reported. Two were being treated at hospitals.Ice on a state road sent a woman skidding and tumbling into a yard in Germantown, Ohio, where her car came to rest upside down, NBC station WDTN of Dayton reported. She was wearing her seat belt and wasn't injured.An Arkansas state trooper was injured Friday morning when a pick-up truck slid off Interstate 40 near Stuttgart and rammed into his patrol car. The trooper, whose injuries were't life-threatening, was sitting in the car alongside the freeway finishing up an investigation of an earlier wreck, the state patrol said.The bad weather forced the cancellation Saturday of the ceremonies marking the 72nd anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the lighting of the state Capitol in Little Rock, neither of which will be rescheduled. More than 40,000 people were without power across the state Friday, NBC station KARK reported.By the time the storm marches east, to the population centers of the Northeast, it is mostly expected to dump rain, making for a wet weekend in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.For the West, a second punch was on the way. A storm system was descending on the West Coast from Alaska, expected to dump snow on coastal Oregon and Northern California on Friday, and the Sierra Nevada range on Saturday.Then it will head for the Midwest, which is in for a "double whammy" of winter weather Sunday, said Michael Palmer, a lead meteorologist for The Weather Channel.Christopher Essner, Azhar Fateh and Alexander Smith of NBC News contribbuted to this report.Related:This story was originally published on Fri Dec 6, 2013 5:49 AM EST

Frozen nation: At least nine dead as cold, ice and snow grip US

 Deadly weather has gripped the U.S., cancelling flights and causing deaths. The cold weather is expected to continue, with snow and ice in the forecast. NBC's Mark Potter and TODAY's Dylan Dreyer report.By M. Alex Johnson and Erin McClam, NBC NewsArctic air, snow and freezing rain was expected across parts of the U.S. Saturday from California to the Northeast, as the winter storm that has killed 11 people continues to wreak havoc.The Weather Channel forecast rain, freezing temperatures and snow in areas from the Golden State into the southern Rockies on Saturday and then a lighter dusting in the Midwest by Sunday -- but the dangerous threat of more freezing rain. Temperatures as low as 27 degrees were expected in usually mild Las Vegas and surrounding areas, while New England was set to get the tail end by Monday.The deaths of at least 11 people — including three in California and the mayor of a small Missouri town — were blamed on the deep freeze, which canceled hundreds of flights and left hundreds of thousands of people without power.The Santa Clara County, Calif., Sheriff's Office said hypothermia — an extremely low body temperature — had killed three people since frigid conditions rolled in late Wednesday, NBC Bay Area reported. An earlier report from the medical examiner's office said four people had died, but it included a person who was found dead last week, before the current weather system hit the region.With icy conditions stretching almost coast to coast, the cold blast was blamed for deaths as far east as Indiana, where a woman died in a four-vehicle crash in Wayne County, and as far south as Arkansas, where an ice-coated tree fell on the camper housing a 62-year-old man in Pope County, authorities told NBC News.  Stephen Lance Dennee / AP A man helps pull a motorist from the ditch in Paducah, Ky., as snow falls Friday.Other weather-related deaths:Ronald Arnall, mayor of Granby, Mo., died when his truck slid off icy State Route 97 and struck a tree Wednesday in Lawrence County, the State Highway Patrol said. A 16-year-old girl was killed when she lost control of her car on a slush-covered road a quarter-mile from school Wednesday in Lakeville, Minn., police said. The car slid sideways and was struck broadside by a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.A 55-year-old man was killed when he was ejected from a car that lost control Wednesday on a highway near Sioux City, Iowa. The car crossed the median of the highway, which was 100 percent ice-covered, and was struck by a freight truck traveling in the other direction, the Iowa State Patrol said.A man was discovered dead under an overpass Wednesday in subfreezing temperatures in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.The body of a man was found behind a convenience store Wednesday night in Carson City, Nev., after temperatures fell into the single digits, the coroner's office said.A driver was killed when his car slammed into a truck Friday in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, police said.North Texas was especially hard hit: About 165,000 people were still left in the dark Friday night after sleet weighed down power lines and snapped tree branches. Dallas called off its marathon for this weekend, with many of the thousands of expected runners unable to get there.More than 1,600 flights were canceled at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. And sister airlines American and American Eagle, which are based in Fort Worth, canceled about 1,370 flights across the country because of the weather in Texas."We are far from over here," said Jim Cantore, a storm tracker for The Weather Channel. With a morning low forecast to be 17 degrees, the Dallas area could have "big problems, especially with these winds continuing to blow everything around."Five states had recorded at least 2½ feet of snow since Wednesday. The highest total was 35 inches, near Two Harbors, Minn.Winter storm warnings covered parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. The manager of a Home Depot store in Dallas concluded: "It's almost like a Black Friday. But I guess we'll call it an Ice Friday."Full coverage from The Weather ChannelThe dangerous ice storm that's sweeping the country is causing cars to slide across slick streets, and low temperatures are preventing the ice from melting. TODAY's Dylan Dreyer reports. Only a slice of the East Coast was spared the winter blast. Elsewhere, the story was ice, snow and brutal cold.Big Sky Country suffered double-take temperatures Friday. It was 23 degrees below zero in Laramie, Wyo., and felt like 41 below. In Helena, Mont., the mercury fell to 10 below, with a wind child of minus-29.The big chill extended to parts of the country much less accustomed to it. Parts of Nevada were at 18 below zero, and parts of Oregon were at 9 degrees. In Flagstaff, Ariz., the temperature just before dawn was 7.Even "sunny" Southern California wasn't being spared — the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Riverside and San Bernardino counties beginning Saturday morning.Farmers pumped water into the soil to keep it from freezing and used wind machines to blow mild air across the citrus crop, most of which is still on the vine. Citrus in California is a $2 billion industry. Lettuce and avocados were also in danger."They're like a popsicle inside," a farmer told NBC Los Angeles after his persimmons froze.Farther east, the danger was more immediate. Half a foot of snow fell on southern Illinois and 3½ inches on the Indianapolis airport, with 5 to 8 inches more expected throughout the Friday.Driving conditions were dangerous in many parts of the country:As many as 12 vehicles piled up on the icy Red River Bridge in North Dakota between between Fargo and Moorhead on Friday, causing almost a dozen others to spin out, NBC station KVLY of Fargo reported. Two were being treated at hospitals.Ice on a state road sent a woman skidding and tumbling into a yard in Germantown, Ohio, where her car came to rest upside down, NBC station WDTN of Dayton reported. She was wearing her seat belt and wasn't injured.An Arkansas state trooper was injured Friday morning when a pick-up truck slid off Interstate 40 near Stuttgart and rammed into his patrol car. The trooper, whose injuries were't life-threatening, was sitting in the car alongside the freeway finishing up an investigation of an earlier wreck, the state patrol said.The bad weather forced the cancellation Saturday of the ceremonies marking the 72nd anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the lighting of the state Capitol in Little Rock, neither of which will be rescheduled. More than 40,000 people were without power across the state Friday, NBC station KARK reported.By the time the storm marches east, to the population centers of the Northeast, it is mostly expected to dump rain, making for a wet weekend in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.For the West, a second punch was on the way. A storm system was descending on the West Coast from Alaska, expected to dump snow on coastal Oregon and Northern California on Friday, and the Sierra Nevada range on Saturday.Then it will head for the Midwest, which is in for a "double whammy" of winter weather Sunday, said Michael Palmer, a lead meteorologist for The Weather Channel.Christopher Essner, Azhar Fateh and Alexander Smith of NBC News contribbuted to this report.Related:This story was originally published on Fri Dec 6, 2013 5:49 AM EST

At least 4 dead, more than 60 injured after NY commuter train derails in Bronx

 NBC’s Katy Tur gives an update on the New York train derailment victims. By Richard Esposito, Hasani Gittens and M. Alex Johnson, NBC NewsA commuter train derailed Sunday morning as it hurtled around a sharp curve in New York City, killing four passengers and injuring dozens of others who were tossed around like rag dolls, authorities said.Investigators want to know why a New York-bound train derailed, killing four people and injuring dozens more. NBC's Tom Costello reports.Officials said at least 63 other people were injured when all seven cars of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad train jumped the tracks as it was rounding the notorious sharp turn right before the historic Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx about 7:22 a.m. ET.The Metropolitan Transportation Authority identified the four passengers who were killed as Jim Lovell, 58, of Cold Spring, N.Y.; James Ferrari, 59, of Montrose, N.Y.; Donna Smith, 54, of Newburgh, N.Y.; and Ahn Kisook, 35, of Queens.Fire officials said that as many as 11 of the injured were critical and that six were in serious condition.Initial reports said some of the cars had gone into the Hudson River, but they narrowly avoided plunging into river. Police divers were in the frigid waters just in case, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said."Everything has proven negative as far as those searches are concerned," he said.Sources told NBC News late Sunday afternoon that the train's engineer — a "respected veteran" with 20 years of Metro-North experience who suffered minor injuries — claimed when first responders arrived that he hit the brakes as the train approached the turn.Earl Weener, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, wouldn't discuss what might have caused the accident. Investigators said they had recovered the train's data recorder, which should show how fast it was traveling and whether its brakes did, in fact, fail.What can travelers expect for their work commutes Monday morning? NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports. Weener said cars that were still on their sides were being uprighted to see whether there were any other deaths or injuries.Just short of the stationMetro-North said the 5:54 a.m. diesel train from Poughkeepsie derailed just feet from the water near the station. It was due at Grand Central Station at 7:43 a.m.The train was half full, with about 150 passengers, rail officials said. The locomotive was on the north end of the train, pushing the cars southward."On a workday, fully occupied, it would have been a tremendous disaster," Fire Commissioner Salvatore Joseph Cassano told reporters at the scene.One of the victims was found in the first car, one was found outside that car, another was found near the second and third cars, and the fourth was found outside the fourth car. In a note to staff, TODAY Executive Producer Don Nash said Lovell was a TODAY audio technician who was on his way to prep the 30 Rock Christmas tree for this week’s lighting when the train derailed.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and federal safety officials say the investigation could take a week to 10 days."It's a reminder to all of us that life is a precious gift," Cuomo said at an afternoon news conference.The condition of the tracks and the cars will be the focus of the NTSB probe, along with the speed the train was traveling, Weener said. The investigation is expected to take a week to 10 days.Sherelle Coore, a 19-year-old college student from the Bronx who was aboard the train, told her cousin from her hospital bed that she felt a "jerking" movement and then everything started happening very quickly. "She hit the side of her head," Coore's cousin, Lisa Delgado, told NBC New York. "She saw the woman in front of her go out the other window. Her glass broke, and she hung on to the side rails like a monkey while the train was flipping and the rocks were coming in."Sherry Nemmers, who lives near the scene, told NBC News that she heard a sound "that was a little too familiar for me." She'd heard it before this summer, when a CSX freight train hauling trash on the same line derailed near the same area of the Bronx. NTSB via TwitterNTSB investigators retrieve an event recorder from the derailed Metro North train. "I heard this thud — this dull thud. It sort of sent chills up me because it was a sound that I heard in July," Nemmers said. "I was afraid that it was going to be a train, and it was."No one was injured in July, but questions were raised about the safety of the track's design and its notoriously sharp turn right before the station. Cuomo noted that the two accidents happened at about the same location but said, "There has to be another factor. ... It can't just be the curve."Weener said the agency would examine whether Sunday's incident could be related, but he said, "At this point in time, we have no indication it was a factor."At least six cops injuredAt St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, where at least 10 victims were taken, officials said critical patients had spinal cord injuries and broken bones. Carlo Allegri / ReutersThe train derailed on a curved section of track in the Bronx on Sunday morning, coming to rest just inches from the water and causing multiple deaths and dozens of injuries.Hospital officials said the injured there included a 14-year-old boy and his father, along with a New York police officer on her way to work who suffered broken bones. Sources said five off-duty New York officers were among the injured, all with relatively minor injuries and reported to be stable.Metro-North Hudson line service was suspended in both directions. Amtrak service between New York and Albany reopened in midafternoon with delays."I think it's fair to say that tomorrow, people who use these lines should plan on a long commute," Cuomo said.President Barack Obama was informed of the crash by the Department of Homeland Security, a White House official said. "His thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families who lost a loved one and everyone affected by this incident," the official said.The White House said Obama would continue to stay in touch with New York officials throughout the day.MTA officials said JFK High School in the Bronx has been established as a meeting area for passengers and their loved ones, and 718-817-7444 is the contact number for those seeking the status of relatives who may have been aboard the train.Elisha Fieldstadt, Katy Tur, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Kristen Dahlgren and Christopher E. Nelson of NBC News contributed to this report.Related: Train derailment latest in string of problems for Metro-North this yearThis story was originally published on Sun Dec 1, 2013 2:57 PM EST

At least 4 dead, more than 60 injured after NY commuter train derails

 NBC’s Katy Tur gives an update on the New York train derailment victims. By Richard Esposito, Hasani Gittens and M. Alex Johnson, NBC NewsA commuter train derailed Sunday morning as it hurtled around a sharp curve in New York City, killing four passengers and injuring dozens of others who were tossed around like rag dolls, authorities said.Investigators want to know why a New York-bound train derailed, killing four people and injuring dozens more. NBC's Tom Costello reports.Officials said at least 63 other people were injured when all seven cars of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad train jumped the tracks as it was rounding the notorious sharp turn right before the historic Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx about 7:22 a.m. ET.The Metropolitan Transportation Authority identified the four passengers who were killed as Jim Lovell, 58, of Cold Spring, N.Y.; James Ferrari, 59, of Montrose, N.Y.; Donna Smith, 54, of Newburgh, N.Y.; and Ahn Kisook, 35, of Queens.Fire officials said that as many as 11 of the injured were critical and that six were in serious condition.Initial reports said some of the cars had gone into the Hudson River, but they narrowly avoided plunging into river. Police divers were in the frigid waters just in case, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said."Everything has proven negative as far as those searches are concerned," he said.Sources told NBC News late Sunday afternoon that the train's engineer — a "respected veteran" with 20 years of Metro-North experience who suffered minor injuries — claimed when first responders arrived that he hit the brakes as the train approached the turn.Earl Weener, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, wouldn't discuss what might have caused the accident. Investigators said they had recovered the train's data recorder, which should show how fast it was traveling and whether its brakes did, in fact, fail.What can travelers expect for their work commutes Monday morning? NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports. Weener said cars that were still on their sides were being uprighted to see whether there were any other deaths or injuries.Just short of the stationMetro-North said the 5:54 a.m. diesel train from Poughkeepsie derailed just feet from the water near the station. It was due at Grand Central Station at 7:43 a.m.The train was half full, with about 150 passengers, rail officials said. The locomotive was on the north end of the train, pushing the cars southward."On a workday, fully occupied, it would have been a tremendous disaster," Fire Commissioner Salvatore Joseph Cassano told reporters at the scene.One of the victims was found in the first car, one was found outside that car, another was found near the second and third cars, and the fourth was found outside the fourth car. In a note to staff, TODAY Executive Producer Don Nash said Lovell was a TODAY audio technician who was on his way to prep the 30 Rock Christmas tree for this week’s lighting when the train derailed.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and federal safety officials say the investigation could take a week to 10 days."It's a reminder to all of us that life is a precious gift," Cuomo said at an afternoon news conference.The condition of the tracks and the cars will be the focus of the NTSB probe, along with the speed the train was traveling, Weener said. The investigation is expected to take a week to 10 days.Sherelle Coore, a 19-year-old college student from the Bronx who was aboard the train, told her cousin from her hospital bed that she felt a "jerking" movement and then everything started happening very quickly. "She hit the side of her head," Coore's cousin, Lisa Delgado, told NBC New York. "She saw the woman in front of her go out the other window. Her glass broke, and she hung on to the side rails like a monkey while the train was flipping and the rocks were coming in."Sherry Nemmers, who lives near the scene, told NBC News that she heard a sound "that was a little too familiar for me." She'd heard it before this summer, when a CSX freight train hauling trash on the same line derailed near the same area of the Bronx. NTSB via TwitterNTSB investigators retrieve an event recorder from the derailed Metro North train. "I heard this thud — this dull thud. It sort of sent chills up me because it was a sound that I heard in July," Nemmers said. "I was afraid that it was going to be a train, and it was."No one was injured in July, but questions were raised about the safety of the track's design and its notoriously sharp turn right before the station. Cuomo noted that the two accidents happened at about the same location but said, "There has to be another factor. ... It can't just be the curve."Weener said the agency would examine whether Sunday's incident could be related, but he said, "At this point in time, we have no indication it was a factor."At least six cops injuredAt St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, where at least 10 victims were taken, officials said critical patients had spinal cord injuries and broken bones. Carlo Allegri / ReutersThe train derailed on a curved section of track in the Bronx on Sunday morning, coming to rest just inches from the water and causing multiple deaths and dozens of injuries.Hospital officials said the injured there included a 14-year-old boy and his father, along with a New York police officer on her way to work who suffered broken bones. Sources said five off-duty New York officers were among the injured, all with relatively minor injuries and reported to be stable.Metro-North Hudson line service was suspended in both directions. Amtrak service between New York and Albany reopened in midafternoon with delays."I think it's fair to say that tomorrow, people who use these lines should plan on a long commute," Cuomo said.President Barack Obama was informed of the crash by the Department of Homeland Security, a White House official said. "His thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families who lost a loved one and everyone affected by this incident," the official said.The White House said Obama would continue to stay in touch with New York officials throughout the day.MTA officials said JFK High School in the Bronx has been established as a meeting area for passengers and their loved ones, and 718-817-7444 is the contact number for those seeking the status of relatives who may have been aboard the train.Elisha Fieldstadt, Katy Tur, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Kristen Dahlgren and Christopher E. Nelson of NBC News contributed to this report.Related: Train derailment latest in string of problems for Metro-North this yearThis story was originally published on Sun Dec 1, 2013 2:57 PM EST

At least 4 dead after NY commuter train derails in Bronx

 NBC’s Katy Tur gives an update on the New York train derailment victims. By Richard Esposito, Hasani Gittens and M. Alex Johnson, NBC NewsA commuter train derailed Sunday morning as it hurtled around a sharp curve in New York City, killing four passengers and injuring dozens of others who were tossed around like rag dolls, authorities said.Investigators want to know why a New York-bound train derailed, killing four people and injuring dozens more. NBC's Tom Costello reports.Officials said at least 63 other people were injured when all seven cars of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad train jumped the tracks as it was rounding the notorious sharp turn right before the historic Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx about 7:22 a.m. ET.The Metropolitan Transportation Authority identified the four passengers who were killed as Jim Lovell, 58, of Cold Spring, N.Y.; James Ferrari, 59, of Montrose, N.Y.; Donna Smith, 54, of Newburgh, N.Y.; and Ahn Kisook, 35, of Queens.Fire officials said that as many as 11 of the injured were critical and that six were in serious condition.Initial reports said some of the cars had gone into the Hudson River, but they narrowly avoided plunging into river. Police divers were in the frigid waters just in case, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said."Everything has proven negative as far as those searches are concerned," he said.Sources told NBC News late Sunday afternoon that the train's engineer — a "respected veteran" with 20 years of Metro-North experience who suffered minor injuries — claimed when first responders arrived that he hit the brakes as the train approached the turn.Earl Weener, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, wouldn't discuss what might have caused the accident. Investigators said they had recovered the train's data recorder, which should show how fast it was traveling and whether its brakes did, in fact, fail.What can travelers expect for their work commutes Monday morning? NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports. Weener said cars that were still on their sides were being uprighted to see whether there were any other deaths or injuries.Just short of the stationMetro-North said the 5:54 a.m. diesel train from Poughkeepsie derailed just feet from the water near the station. It was due at Grand Central Station at 7:43 a.m.The train was half full, with about 150 passengers, rail officials said. The locomotive was on the north end of the train, pushing the cars southward."On a workday, fully occupied, it would have been a tremendous disaster," Fire Commissioner Salvatore Joseph Cassano told reporters at the scene.One of the victims was found in the first car, one was found outside that car, another was found near the second and third cars, and the fourth was found outside the fourth car. In a note to staff, TODAY Executive Producer Don Nash said Lovell was a TODAY audio technician who was on his way to prep the 30 Rock Christmas tree for this week’s lighting when the train derailed.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and federal safety officials say the investigation could take a week to 10 days."It's a reminder to all of us that life is a precious gift," Cuomo said at an afternoon news conference.The condition of the tracks and the cars will be the focus of the NTSB probe, along with the speed the train was traveling, Weener said. The investigation is expected to take a week to 10 days.Sherelle Coore, a 19-year-old college student from the Bronx who was aboard the train, told her cousin from her hospital bed that she felt a "jerking" movement and then everything started happening very quickly. "She hit the side of her head," Coore's cousin, Lisa Delgado, told NBC New York. "She saw the woman in front of her go out the other window. Her glass broke, and she hung on to the side rails like a monkey while the train was flipping and the rocks were coming in."Sherry Nemmers, who lives near the scene, told NBC News that she heard a sound "that was a little too familiar for me." She'd heard it before this summer, when a CSX freight train hauling trash on the same line derailed near the same area of the Bronx. NTSB via TwitterNTSB investigators retrieve an event recorder from the derailed Metro North train. "I heard this thud — this dull thud. It sort of sent chills up me because it was a sound that I heard in July," Nemmers said. "I was afraid that it was going to be a train, and it was."No one was injured in July, but questions were raised about the safety of the track's design and its notoriously sharp turn right before the station. Cuomo noted that the two accidents happened at about the same location but said, "There has to be another factor. ... It can't just be the curve."Weener said the agency would examine whether Sunday's incident could be related, but he said, "At this point in time, we have no indication it was a factor."At least six cops injuredAt St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, where at least 10 victims were taken, officials said critical patients had spinal cord injuries and broken bones. Carlo Allegri / ReutersThe train derailed on a curved section of track in the Bronx on Sunday morning, coming to rest just inches from the water and causing multiple deaths and dozens of injuries.Hospital officials said the injured there included a 14-year-old boy and his father, along with a New York police officer on her way to work who suffered broken bones. Sources said five off-duty New York officers were among the injured, all with relatively minor injuries and reported to be stable.Metro-North Hudson line service was suspended in both directions. Amtrak service between New York and Albany reopened in midafternoon with delays."I think it's fair to say that tomorrow, people who use these lines should plan on a long commute," Cuomo said.President Barack Obama was informed of the crash by the Department of Homeland Security, a White House official said. "His thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families who lost a loved one and everyone affected by this incident," the official said.The White House said Obama would continue to stay in touch with New York officials throughout the day.MTA officials said JFK High School in the Bronx has been established as a meeting area for passengers and their loved ones, and 718-817-7444 is the contact number for those seeking the status of relatives who may have been aboard the train.Elisha Fieldstadt, Katy Tur, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Kristen Dahlgren and Christopher E. Nelson of NBC News contributed to this report.Related: Train derailment latest in string of problems for Metro-North this yearThis story was originally published on Sun Dec 1, 2013 2:57 PM EST

Dozens of Tornadoes Kill 6, injure at least 37 in Midwest

Mobile phone video captures a tornado in a central district of Illinois.By M. Alex Johnson and Jeff Black, NBC NewsA powerful storm system swept the Midwest on Sunday, dozens of tornadoes that killed at least six people, injured many others and left damage in parts of Illinois devastating of spawning.Brookport, Illinois at Massac County near the Kentucky line, was particularly hard hit. They were confirmed at least two people have been killed and police with dogs were going door to door to search for trapped residents. Roads into the city closed by debris and downed power lines, Brookport authorities imposed an 18-to-touch curfew 6.At least four people were killed in Illinois, the State Emergency Management Agency told NBC News. A 80-year-old man and his 78-year-old sister died about new Minden, according to Washington County coroner Mark Styninger, and unidentified victims were confirmed dead in the city of Washington and Unionville."Suddenly, the wind began to lift and [my wife] said: ' we have to go to the basement now!'" Steve Bucher in Washington said that the NBC station week of Peoria."In less than a minute, it all started inside the House, cracking, sputtering, collapsing," he said. "The next thing we know, is light inside the garage."Do after bringing rain and tornadoes to Illinois, this time set what next? Reports of Mike Seidel of The Weather Channel.In the early afternoon, 37 people were being treated at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, seven of them as trauma patients. Numerous injuries were also reported in Massac County, with communications difficult and many impassable roads, it was still unclear how many people could be hurt.In the semana-TV, presenters had to go outside the air abruptly as they were counts that they themselves were in the path of the twister. According to the national weather service, was damaged the roof of the station.Steve Smedley / APA storm system a spin multiple tornadoes, killing several people and flattening an entire neighborhood.In the Tazewell County in central Illinois, emergency teams were responding to a tornado flattens homes in several neighborhoods. Cities with damage reported include Washington, Perkin and East Peoria, spokesman for the County Sara Sparkman told NBC News. Photos of Washington showed an expansive trail of wooden remains of wrecked homes as the tornado laid waste to a neighborhood.East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus said that about 100 houses were damaged in his city of about 23,000 residents, with 25 to 50 destroyed and uninhabitable.The Red Cross was working with the County to open shelters in the area for families whose homes were damaged.Altogether, The Weather Channel recorded 40 reports of tornadoes: 16 in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky 14 in eight each in Missouri and Ohio. There were more than 250 reports of damage from wind and strong winds through eight States.At least 83,000 customers were without power Sunday afternoon in most of the people in the area of Peoria, Illinois, said Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.Rescue teams were deployed in multiple areas throughout the State, focusing on the affected areas of Washington and Gifford, Monken said.Damage extended throughout the region, with damage reported as far East as Kentucky.Corey Mayes of Corydon in Henderson County, KY., said that he, his wife and their 4-year-old dashed down as a tornado abruptly.A violent storm system spawned tornadoes in the Illinois Center. Kevin Tibbles, NBC reports."I yelled to everyone down to the basement, and checked in my family and he came back running," Mayes said NBC WFIE near Fort Wayne, Indiana station"At that time, had already come across the street and I was trying to touch down," he said. "Simply again and blew up above."The Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn warned residents that the climate and storms across the State were "very serious".In Chicago, the NFL Baltimore Ravens-Chicago Bears game was delayed due to the climate, and the area of seats at Soldier Field was evacuated. The game was resumed in envelope 14:20 (3:20 p.m. ET) after a delay of nearly two hours.The highest point of the threat of tornadoes was eastern Illinois in Southern Michigan, Western Kentucky, Indiana and Western Ohio, but dangerous winds were also a cause for concern, as the storms move through the Appalachians, as well as parts of the northeast of the country in the early hours of Monday, said the national weather service.They reported significant damage in Lebanon, Indiana, where Elizabeth MacDougal was in a Starbucks coffee when a possible tornado appeared."I looked out the front window of the Starbucks and in fact was on the phone with my mother saying: ' Hey, we are entering a not so good time '", said McDougal station NBC WTHR of Indianapolis."And then, suddenly, I see a white cloud, and I'm like, 'Oh, moving funny,'" said. "And then they tracked down eyes, and it is then when the rubble started to lift. And that's when he said: ' MOM, I have to go!' "The Starbucks Windows were shattered, and the vehicles in the parking lot were revoked, WTHR reported.Wind and hail can cause the fallen trees and scattered power outages in a wide area from Chicago to Buffalo.The weather channel provides that the storm might decrease as it moved east to Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, but the winds could reach up to New York on Monday morning.Michelle Acevedo, Christopher Essner, Azhar Fateh, Elisha Fieldstadt, Alastair Jamieson, Christopher E. Nelson and Julmary Zambrano of NBC News contributed to this report.This story was originally posted on Sunday, November 17, 2013 6:28 PM EST

Scores of tornadoes kill 4, injure at least 37 in Midwest

aCellphone video captures a twister touching down in a central Illinois neighborhood. By M. Alex Johnson and Jeff Black, NBC NewsA powerful storm system rampaged through the Midwest on Sunday, spawning dozens of tornadoes that killed at least six people, injured many others and left devastating damage in parts of Illinois.Brookport, Ill., in Massac County near the Kentucky line, was particularly hard hit. At least two people were confirmed to have died, and police with dogs were going door to door to search for trapped residents. With roads entering the city closed by debris and downed power lines, Brookport authorities imposed a 6 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew.At least four other people were killed in Illinois, the state Emergency Management Agency told NBC News. An 80-year-old man and his 78-year-old sister were killed near New Minden, according to Washington County Coroner Mark Styninger, and unidentified victims were confirmed dead in Washington city and in Unionville."All of a sudden, the wind started picking up, and [my wife] said, 'We've got to get in the basement right now!'" Steve Bucher of Washington told NBC station WEEK of Peoria."Within less than a minute, everything started collapsing inside the house, cracking, sputtering," he said. "Next thing we know, it's light inside the garage."After bringing rain and tornadoes to Illinois, what will this weather system do next? Mike Seidel of The Weather Channel reports.By early evening, 37 people were being treated at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, seven of them as trauma patients. Numerous injuries were also reported in Massac County, and with communications difficult and many roads impassable, it remained unclear how many other people might be hurt.At WEEK-TV, newscasters had to go off the air abruptly as they realized they themselves were in the path of the twister. According to the National Weather Service, the station's roof was damaged. Steve Smedley / APA storm system spun off multiple tornadoes killing several people and flattening an entire neighborhood.In Tazewell County in central Illinois, emergency crews were responding to a tornado that flattened homes in several neighborhoods. The cities with reported damage include Washington, Perkin and East Peoria, county spokeswoman Sara Sparkman told NBC News. Pictures from Washington showed an expansive trail of wood debris from homes torn apart as the twister laid waste to one neighborhood.East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus said about 100 homes were damaged in his city of more than 23,000 residents, with 25 to 50 destroyed and uninhabitable.The Red Cross was working with the county to open up shelters in the area for families whose homes were damaged.Altogether, The Weather Channel recorded 40 reports of tornadoes: 16 in Indiana, 14 in Illinois, eight in Kentucky and one each in Missouri and Ohio. There were more than 250 reports of wind damage or high winds across eight states. At least 83,000 customers were without electric power Sunday evening in Illinois, most of those in the Peoria area, said Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois Emergency management Agency.Rescue teams were deploying to multiple areas across the state, focusing on the hard-hit Washington and Gifford areas, Monken said.Damage extended across the region, with damage reported as far east as Kentucky.Corey Mayes of Corydon in Henderson County, Ky., said he, his wife and their 4-year-old dashed downstairs as a tornado rushed through.A violent storm system spawned tornadoes in central Illinois. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports. "I yelled at everybody to get down to the basement, and I checked on my family and ran back up," Mayes told NBC station WFIE of nearby Fort Wayne, Ind."About that time, it had already come across the street and was trying to touch back down," he said. "It just sucked back up and blew on over."Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn warned residents that the weather and storms across the state were "very serious."In Chicago, the Baltimore Ravens-Chicago Bears NFL game was delayed because of the weather, and the seating area at Soldier Field was evacuated. The game resumed at about 2:20 p.m. (3:20 p.m. ET) after a nearly two-hour delay.The highest threat area for tornadoes was eastern Illinois into Indiana, southern Michigan, western Kentucky and western Ohio, but dangerous winds were also a concern as the storms move across the Appalachians as well as parts of the Northeast into early Monday, the National Weather Service said.Significant damage was reported in Lebanon, Ind., where Elizabeth MacDougal was in a Starbucks when a possible tornado appeared. "I was looking out the front window of the Starbucks and I was actually on the phone with my mom saying, 'Hey, we're entering some not-so-nice weather here,'" McDougal told NBC station WTHR of Indianapolis."And then all of a sudden, I see this white cloud, and I'm like, 'Oh, that's moving funny,'" she said. "And then my eyes tracked downward, and that's when the debris started to kick up. And that's when I said, 'Mom, I gotta go!'"The windows of the Starbucks were shattered, and vehicles in the parking lot were overturned, WTHR reported.Wind and hail could cause downed trees and scattered power failures across a broad area from Chicago to Buffalo.The Weather Channel predicted that the storm would diminish as it moved east through Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, but high winds could reach as far as New York on Monday morning.Michelle Acevedo, Christopher Essner, Azhar Fateh, Elisha Fieldstadt, Alastair Jamieson, Christopher E. Nelson and Julmary Zambrano of NBC News contributed to this report.This story was originally published on Sun Nov 17, 2013 6:28 PM EST

Scores of tornadoes kill 5, injure at least 37 in Midwest

aCellphone video captures a twister touching down in a central Illinois neighborhood. By M. Alex Johnson and Jeff Black, NBC NewsA powerful storm system rampaged through the Midwest on Sunday, spawning dozens of tornadoes that killed at least six people, injured many others and left devastating damage in parts of Illinois.Brookport, Ill., in Massac County near the Kentucky line, was particularly hard hit. At least two people were confirmed to have died, and police with dogs were going door to door to search for trapped residents. With roads entering the city closed by debris and downed power lines, Brookport authorities imposed a 6 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew.At least four other people were killed in Illinois, the state Emergency Management Agency told NBC News. An 80-year-old man and his 78-year-old sister were killed near New Minden, according to Washington County Coroner Mark Styninger, and unidentified victims were confirmed dead in Washington city and in Unionville."All of a sudden, the wind started picking up, and [my wife] said, 'We've got to get in the basement right now!'" Steve Bucher of Washington told NBC station WEEK of Peoria."Within less than a minute, everything started collapsing inside the house, cracking, sputtering," he said. "Next thing we know, it's light inside the garage."After bringing rain and tornadoes to Illinois, what will this weather system do next? Mike Seidel of The Weather Channel reports.By early evening, 37 people were being treated at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, seven of them as trauma patients. Numerous injuries were also reported in Massac County, and with communications difficult and many roads impassable, it remained unclear how many other people might be hurt.At WEEK-TV, newscasters had to go off the air abruptly as they realized they themselves were in the path of the twister. According to the National Weather Service, the station's roof was damaged. Steve Smedley / APA storm system spun off multiple tornadoes killing several people and flattening an entire neighborhood.In Tazewell County in central Illinois, emergency crews were responding to a tornado that flattened homes in several neighborhoods. The cities with reported damage include Washington, Perkin and East Peoria, county spokeswoman Sara Sparkman told NBC News. Pictures from Washington showed an expansive trail of wood debris from homes torn apart as the twister laid waste to one neighborhood.East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus said about 100 homes were damaged in his city of more than 23,000 residents, with 25 to 50 destroyed and uninhabitable.The Red Cross was working with the county to open up shelters in the area for families whose homes were damaged.Altogether, The Weather Channel recorded 40 reports of tornadoes: 16 in Indiana, 14 in Illinois, eight in Kentucky and one each in Missouri and Ohio. There were more than 250 reports of wind damage or high winds across eight states. At least 83,000 customers were without electric power Sunday evening in Illinois, most of those in the Peoria area, said Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois Emergency management Agency.Rescue teams were deploying to multiple areas across the state, focusing on the hard-hit Washington and Gifford areas, Monken said.Damage extended across the region, with damage reported as far east as Kentucky.Corey Mayes of Corydon in Henderson County, Ky., said he, his wife and their 4-year-old dashed downstairs as a tornado rushed through.A violent storm system spawned tornadoes in central Illinois. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports. "I yelled at everybody to get down to the basement, and I checked on my family and ran back up," Mayes told NBC station WFIE of nearby Fort Wayne, Ind."About that time, it had already come across the street and was trying to touch back down," he said. "It just sucked back up and blew on over."Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn warned residents that the weather and storms across the state were "very serious."In Chicago, the Baltimore Ravens-Chicago Bears NFL game was delayed because of the weather, and the seating area at Soldier Field was evacuated. The game resumed at about 2:20 p.m. (3:20 p.m. ET) after a nearly two-hour delay.The highest threat area for tornadoes was eastern Illinois into Indiana, southern Michigan, western Kentucky and western Ohio, but dangerous winds were also a concern as the storms move across the Appalachians as well as parts of the Northeast into early Monday, the National Weather Service said.Significant damage was reported in Lebanon, Ind., where Elizabeth MacDougal was in a Starbucks when a possible tornado appeared. "I was looking out the front window of the Starbucks and I was actually on the phone with my mom saying, 'Hey, we're entering some not-so-nice weather here,'" McDougal told NBC station WTHR of Indianapolis."And then all of a sudden, I see this white cloud, and I'm like, 'Oh, that's moving funny,'" she said. "And then my eyes tracked downward, and that's when the debris started to kick up. And that's when I said, 'Mom, I gotta go!'"The windows of the Starbucks were shattered, and vehicles in the parking lot were overturned, WTHR reported.Wind and hail could cause downed trees and scattered power failures across a broad area from Chicago to Buffalo.The Weather Channel predicted that the storm would diminish as it moved east through Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, but high winds could reach as far as New York on Monday morning.Michelle Acevedo, Christopher Essner, Azhar Fateh, Elisha Fieldstadt, Alastair Jamieson, Christopher E. Nelson and Julmary Zambrano of NBC News contributed to this report.This story was originally published on Sun Nov 17, 2013 6:28 PM EST