CALIFORNIA: A heavy blizzard dumped wet snow on volunteers as they rushed to build dikes against rising flood waters in North Dakota, as officials used explosives to try break up ice jams on swelling rivers.
The storm's blustering winds knocked out power to towns across the largely rural prairie state and made many roads impassable as it dumped snow and freezing rain, officials said.
Several bridges and roads were already closed due to flooding as an unusually heavy snow pack began to melt on top of saturated land that has not yet fully thawed.
More snow was forecast to fall on the Red River valley in the coming days and rain could worsen flood conditions by the weekend, the weather service predicted.
Low-lying homes across the state were evacuated as rivers and creeks spilled over their banks, although damage was largely restricted to water in basements. No injuries were reported in a situation report issued at 7:30 pm (0130 GMT Thursday).
About 20 people from homes south of Fargo were evacuated with airboats that sluiced through ice-covered floodwaters after sandbag dikes began to leak.
Blackhawk helicopters were to be used to dump sand and salt down river of the ice jam to help get the water flowing again and reduce flood pressure on the city. Officials warned they may not know if the operation was successful until Thursday.
Heavy snowfall prompted thousands of volunteers in Fargo to reinforce temporary dikes and levees after the projected crest of the mighty Red River was raised to a record 41 feet (12.5 meters) by Saturday. Snowplows cleared streets for trucks delivering sandbags to neighborhoods along the river, where volunteers from as far away as Iowa and Montana mingled with high school and college students whose classes were cancelled. Hundreds of volunteers passed along sandbag
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