Storms Washington

Rain and melting snow pushed rivers over their banks, sweeping away at least three homes, collapsing part of a bridge and forcing as many as 80 people to evacuate, officials said Friday. Flood warnings remained in effect Friday along the Nooksack and three other rivers in northwestern Washington, with the National Weather Service predicting warm weather and occasionally heavy rain in the Cascade Mountains.

Residents of Washington D.C. and surrounding states are dealing Saturday morning with the aftermath of a fierce storm that pummeled the region late Friday night, leaving scores without power during what is expected to be a sweltering weekend. The National Weather Service said six people died and 20 reported injuries from Friday's extreme weather. Two of those fatalities occurred in Fairfax County, Va., according to the Washington Post ; both people were struck by falling trees.

In the wake of "Snowmageddon," the blizzard that paralyzed the mid-Atlantic region, officials Thursday turned to the mammoth task of digging out, challenged by the logistical problem of where to dump mountains of snow. "There is so much snow that there is nowhere to push it," said Esther Bowring, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County government in Maryland, which is hauling snow to parks. Although airports reopened Thursday, the federal government remained shut for a fourth straight day, and many schools are closed.

In the wake of "Snowmageddon," the blizzard that paralyzed the mid-Atlantic region, officials Thursday turned to the mammoth task of digging out, challenged by the logistical problem of where to dump mountains of snow. "There is so much snow that there is nowhere to push it," said Esther Bowring, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County government in Maryland, which is hauling snow to parks. Although airports reopened Thursday, the federal government remained shut for a fourth straight day, and many schools are closed.

Sections of a closed interstate highway bridge across Lake Washington sank Sunday after a round of stormy weather, and engineers said the rest could collapse at any time. About one-third of the 1 1/2-mile-long floating bridge across the lake sank, another piece sank about five hours later, and other sections appeared to be breaking loose, witnesses said. No injuries were reported.

Residents of Washington D.C. and surrounding states are dealing Saturday morning with the aftermath of a fierce storm that pummeled the region late Friday night, leaving scores without power during what is expected to be a sweltering weekend. The National Weather Service said six people died and 20 reported injuries from Friday's extreme weather. Two of those fatalities occurred in Fairfax County, Va., according to the Washington Post ; both people were struck by falling trees.

Heavy flooding from a weekend of thunderstorms disrupted the nation's capital Monday, keeping thousands of government workers at home and closing several popular tourist destinations. Power outages and flooding forced the closure of the Smithsonian's Natural History and American History museums, the National Gallery of Art and the National Archives -- which houses the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and other historic documents.

Perhaps the NFL could spare one of its teams Jan. 3. It's a Thursday, after all, and the University of Miami is going to need some sort of challenge in the Rose Bowl. But, so long as the national championship game features Miami vs. Another College Team, it's a blowout waiting to happen. After the top-ranked Hurricanes obliterated Washington on Saturday, 65-7, Miami Coach Larry Coker was almost apologetic.

"I never wanted to speak for a generation." So says Rob Nelson as he sips iced tea in a Capitol Hill restaurant. It's what you might expect from a savvy, earnest and somewhat self-proclaimed leader of the generation branded with a nihilistic X. Fresh off his motorcycle with tousled hair and wearing jeans, a gray T-shirt and hiking boots, Nelson, 31, is reflecting--a bit defensively--upon the past three years of his life, which were devoted to rousing...

The recent record rain, snow and ice storms in Washington state that downed power lines and caused millions of dollars in property damage have apparently had at least one salutary effect: A record number of bald eagles have been counted in Skagit County, north of Seattle. Jim Alt, a bald-eagle expert for the Nature Conservancy, stands on the bank of the Skagit River in Howard Miller Steelhead Park.

Heavy flooding from a weekend of thunderstorms disrupted the nation's capital Monday, keeping thousands of government workers at home and closing several popular tourist destinations. Power outages and flooding forced the closure of the Smithsonian's Natural History and American History museums, the National Gallery of Art and the National Archives -- which houses the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and other historic documents.

Perhaps the NFL could spare one of its teams Jan. 3. It's a Thursday, after all, and the University of Miami is going to need some sort of challenge in the Rose Bowl. But, so long as the national championship game features Miami vs. Another College Team, it's a blowout waiting to happen. After the top-ranked Hurricanes obliterated Washington on Saturday, 65-7, Miami Coach Larry Coker was almost apologetic.

"I never wanted to speak for a generation." So says Rob Nelson as he sips iced tea in a Capitol Hill restaurant. It's what you might expect from a savvy, earnest and somewhat self-proclaimed leader of the generation branded with a nihilistic X. Fresh off his motorcycle with tousled hair and wearing jeans, a gray T-shirt and hiking boots, Nelson, 31, is reflecting--a bit defensively--upon the past three years of his life, which were devoted to rousing...

Sections of a closed interstate highway bridge across Lake Washington sank Sunday after a round of stormy weather, and engineers said the rest could collapse at any time. About one-third of the 1 1/2-mile-long floating bridge across the lake sank, another piece sank about five hours later, and other sections appeared to be breaking loose, witnesses said. No injuries were reported.

Rain and melting snow pushed rivers over their banks, sweeping away at least three homes, collapsing part of a bridge and forcing as many as 80 people to evacuate, officials said Friday. Flood warnings remained in effect Friday along the Nooksack and three other rivers in northwestern Washington, with the National Weather Service predicting warm weather and occasionally heavy rain in the Cascade Mountains.