Floods, Ice Hit Northwest After Snowstorm

Days after a new "Snowmaggedon" slammed the Pacific Northwest, an ice storm and floods have left two dead in the region. Seattle's snow began Tuesday night; the city measured a daily snowfall of 6.8 inches early yesterday, blowing away the previous record of 2.9 inches in 1954. Washington's governor declared a state of emergency as airports and schools closed and at least 300,000 households suffered blackouts. A six-truck crash cut off a key highway through the Cascades, Reuters reports.

Oregon's governor also declared a state of emergency amid floods approaching record levels, the Los Angeles Times reports. Coastal areas saw six inches of rain within 24 hours, while the state capital got three inches; the downpour melted the snow, adding to the flooding. A car with four passengers was washed from a parking lot into an overflowing creek on Wednesday night; rescuers saved a father and son but a 20-month-old and his mother died in the accident. Oregon had a temporary respite from rain yesterday afternoon, but "the outlook just seems to be very similar" for the coming days, with "a good amount of rain" expected "every 24 to 36 hours, at least through midweek next week," said a meteorologist. (More severe weather stories.)