This Week in Review: California Fires Claim $15 Million in Damage as Rain, Snow Blast Portions of US

By Michael Kuhne, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

May 16,2014; 11:05PM,EDT

 

 

Powerful thunderstorms roared through the Midwest and East this week bringing isolated tornadoes, snowfall, damaging winds and severe flooding to portions of the country.
Meanwhile in the drought-stricken West, multiple wildfires blackened the rolling hills of northern San Diego County, California, forcing the evacuation of thousands, causing millions of dollars in damages and consuming more than 14 square miles in their wake.
On Sunday, a series of powerful thunderstorms cut power to thousands as it pushed across the Plains including Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska, bringing damaging winds, hail and tornadoes.
A path of devastation is left behind after a tornado barrels through Sutton, Nebraska, on Sunday, May 11, 2014. (Twitter Photo/@AviWxChasers )
A tornado touched down in Sutton, Nebraska, with no significant injuries reported. Tornadoes also touched down near McPherson and Nickerson, Kansas; Sheldon, Iowa; Rensselaer, Indiana; and Friend, Nebraska.
In parts of Colorado, more than two feet of snowfall was reported in some areas. Wind gusts topping 80 mph and baseball-sized hail also followed with the storms.
A deck and patio furniture are blanketed by springtime snow in Golden, Colorado, on Sunday, May 11, 2014. (Photo/Verne Carlson)
Also late Sunday, mandatory evacuations were ordered after a wildfire ignited in Hutchinson County, Texas, officials said.
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A wildfire burns along Lake Meredith at Sanford, Texas, northeast of Amarillo, on Sunday, May 11, 2014. (Facebook Photo/Hutchinson County LEPC Emergency Notification )
The severe weather threat, which began on Sunday across the Plains, continued into Monday night as storms move eastward.
Heavy flooding, damaging winds and large hail with a few isolated tornadoes were reported across from Texas to Michigan.
(Photo/Mitch Peterson)
Another round of powerful storms barreled across parts of the South and Ohio Valley on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down two miles south of Cedarville, Greene County, Ohio.
Stormy skies over Smithville, Wayne County, Ohio. (Photo/Mike Vielhaber)
Raging wildfires fueled by high winds, record heat and very low humidity would flare up across San Diego County.
The Bernardo Fire in North County forced the evacuation of more than 20,000 residents and threatened structures Tuesday night. In Carlsbad, another wildfire would claim several homes and commercial structures causing millions of dollars in damages.
Billowing smoke rises from flames as firefighters begin the trek up the hills to battle a wildfire, Tuesday, May 13, 2014, in San Diego. (AP Photo)
The fires have been able to spread quickly thanks to persistent and very dry winds. Gusts peaked as high as 50 mph on Wednesday
Another wildfire would ignite near Camp Pendleton forcing the evacuation of military housing and would rage to more than 6,000 acres by Thursday.
(Photo/ @NWSSanDiego)
The Cocos Fire in San Marcos, California, would consume several structures and continued to blaze into Friday afternoon, with only 10 percent of the fire contained.
A firenado is born out of a fire in Bonsall, California, on Thursday, May 14, 2014. (Photo/Rick Halsey,californiachaparral.org)
Severe flooding would also occur in much of the East Thursday due to another round of storms pushing across the mid-Atlantic in the Carolinas to parts of the Ohio Valley.
During the storms, a tornado was reported in Miami at the Miami International Airport Thursday afternoon. Later in the evening, another tornado touched down in Durham, North Carolina.
The risk for flooding will continue into Friday evening and into the weekend.
The downpours pushed small streams out of their banks and will lead to flooding of the Potomac River and others in the mid-Atlantic this weekend.

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Christopher Moore

cjmoore72

GW = Global Warming CC = Climate Change Fires = GW Rain = CC Floods = CC Heat Wave = GW Cold = CC Snow = CC Tornadoe = CC Hurricane = GW

1h

Shayne Adamski

shayneadamski

1- Flooding, wildfires, tornado or hurricane damage. 2- GPS photos of public areas. Use the Disaster Reporter in the @fema app.

54m

[]laur[]yby[]

slaycxb

no we dont have tornadoes no we dont have thunder or lightning no we dont have snow oh but we have fires great how i love california

13h