Winter brings cooling snows to Italy's fiery Mount Etna, where tourists flock to ski resorts below the volcano's belching craters.

On Dec. 13, NASA's Landsat 8 satellite snapped lava winding down Etna's snowy slopes - the aftermath of a Dec. 2 eruption. In the image, volcanic gas puffed from Etna's New Southeast Crater, the source of spectacular lava fountains seen in recent months from nearby villages, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.

The volcano erupted again on Dec. 14, the day after the satellite caught the fresh mix of fire and ice. Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, spouting ash, gas and lava several times a year. The burst of activity forced the closure of Sicily's Catania and Comiso airports, according to news reports.

On Dec. 15, new vents opened on a cone at Etna's New Southeast Crater, fountaining lava into the air, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Huge bursting magma bubbles and loud blasts rattled windows several miles (tens of kilometers) away.

Email Becky Oskin or follow her @beckyoskin. Follow us OurAmazingPlanet @OAPlanet, Facebook and Google+. Original article at LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.

• Amazing Images: Volcanoes from Space
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A Washington photographer has taken something as simple as a bubble and turned it into a winter art form.

Angela Kelly of Kelly Images and Photography, Arlington, Wash., took the photos over several days during a recent cold snap with early morning temperatures between 9 and 16 degrees Fahrenheit.

"I find that taking photos of ordinary things and showing their whimsical or uniquely beautiful side has helped my children to really slow down, look closely at their surroundings and to thoroughly enjoy something as simple as a drop of water on a blade of grass or the dew drops that line a spider's web," Kelly said.

Photo by Angela Kelly, Kelly Images and Photography.

Kelly said she used a homemade bubble solution with water, Karo syrup and dish soap that she found on the Internet.

"We quickly realized that using a mostly shady area was necessary in order to get the bubbles to freeze in their entirety and conversely using a partly sunny area allowed the bubbles to only partially freeze along the bottoms up to about the mid-point of the bubble," she said.

Using that information, Kelly and her youngest son set about with the idea that they wanted to see them in all different stages: frozen completely, half-frozen and only partially frozen.

"We were both awestruck as we watched how each bubble formed its own unique ice pattern as they froze," she said. "My son was amazed as I blew a gentle puff of air across the top of one bubble that had completely frozen and watched intently as it broke away from the surface it was on, rolled over and showed its shattered shell."

Her son said it looked like a hard-boiled egg shell that was broken in half.

The hardest parts of the photography assignment were getting the properly sized bubble and keeping it intact.

"As cold as it was during these mornings, the smaller bubbles would almost freeze instantly and drop like stones to the ground while the largest ones would burst immediately on landing."

Sometimes in our quest to appreciate beauty, we take for granted even the simplest treasures that can be found in our own back yard, Kelly said.

"I love being able to show others something that they have perhaps taken for granted and walked by too quickly to notice before. I hope that in sharing my work, it will help others to change their perspective and take the time to enjoy and savor the beauty around them in the most unfamiliar or surprising ways possible."

Photos by Angela Kelly, Kelly Images and Photography.

RELATED ON SKYE: 50 Must-See Weather Photos from 2013

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Thursday, Dec. 18, 2013

Workers remove snow from parking lots at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Standing amid giant piles of snow in the shadow of MetLife Stadium, Super Bowl organizers said Wednesday that they're prepared to deploy thousands of trucks and tons of salt to prevent snowy weather from interfering with the biggest football game of the year.

Officials held the press conference to assure the public that snow or ice will not hinder the game on Feb. 2, when it will debut as the first outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl in NFL history.

The stadium has several snow melters on hand that can clear the fields quickly, including one machine that can melt up to 600 tons of snow per hour, said the stadium's CEO, Brad Mayne. Removable snow chutes can funnel snow out of the seating and concourse areas, he said.

"As you can imagine, Mother Nature and her storms come in many different varieties," Mayne said. "And so we have to be flexible in how we address each and every storm."

Mayne pointed to the most recent storm to hit the region last week, which dropped 6.3 inches of snow and ice on the stadium just hours before the New York Giants played host to the Seattle Seahawks.

"Even though the storm ended just hours prior to kickoff, our experienced crew were able to have the stadium ready," Mayne said.

The stadium plans to have up to 1,600 workers on standby for the Super Bowl, which is double the typical amount of personnel used in most storms.

Officials said they would only consider rescheduling the game in extreme circumstances.

"It is our objective to kick off the ball at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 2," said Frank Supovitz, Senior Vice President of Events for the NFL. "And we're going to expend every effort ... to make sure that that gets done."

Transportation experts say a snowy football field isn't the issue - after all, many NFL games have previously been played in the snow. But the players might be throwing passes in an empty stadium if the fans can't make it there during a blizzard.

Filling MetLife Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday hinges open the reliability of New Jersey's rails and roads to funnel fans to the game.

"They'll play the game," said Mitchell Moss, director of the Rudin Center for Transportation at New York University. "The question is, they may have to hire mannequins to fill the stadium."

An ice or snow storm would jeopardize the region's airports, causing ground delays or cancellations that would prevent fans from arriving in New York City, including the scores of private jets that will likely touch down at Teterboro Airport, Moss said. Icy roads would also hinder the many buses that will ferry fans from Manhattan to the game.

During a nor'easter last February that crippled the region, for example, NJ Transit suspended bus operations across the state to decrease the number of vehicles on the road and help plows clear the pavement.

At the press conference, New Jersey Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Joseph Mrozek said the state can deploy more than 820 vehicles and about 60,000 tons of salt within a 30-mile radius of the stadium, with even more resources available statewide if necessary.

The state also has more than a quarter of a million gallons of brine and 850,000 gallons of liquid calcium in storage, which are used to treat salt when temperatures drop below freezing.

"We have the trucks, we have the manpower and we have the supplies to fight any major event," Mrozek said.

Interest in whether or not America will have its first snowy Super Bowl has ramped up so much that the forecasting company AccuWeather has created a website asking that very question: www.willitsnow.com.

Launched on Wednesday, exactly 45 days before the game, the site currently predicts a 30 percent chance of snow on Feb. 2. The site will be updated daily.

On Super Bowl Sunday, it'll update with hourly forecasts for fans who want to track theweather by the minute.

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Off-the-Charts Hottest and Coldest Places on Earth

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Friday, Dec. 20, 2013

(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Similar to the days prior to Thanksgiving, the worst weather will focus on the days prior to Christmas as millions of travelers take to the roads and airways.

According to AAA, 94.5 million people will travel 50 miles or more over the holiday season, spanning Dec. 21 to Jan. 1.

Most of the travel troubles will be caused by a single storm system forecast to affect much of the Central and Eastern states on Saturday and Sunday.

The storm this weekend will bring a wide variety of weather ranging from temperature extremes to heavy snow, ice, flooding rain, fog, severe thunderstorms and the potential for tornadoes.

First Things First, Friday Travel Trouble

Prior to the main storm this weekend, snow will slide southward Friday from the Pacific Northwest to part of the Great Basin, northern Rockies and High Plains. A second batch of snow is also forecast to take a similar path in the West Friday night into Saturday, before fizzling out over the central and southern Rockies.

Enough snow will fall from both systems to slow travel along extensive stretches of I-15, I-25, I-84 and I-90 in the United States, as well as Canada Highway 1 in part of British Columbia.

Another dose of snow will sweep inland over the Northwest to the northern Rockies on Monday.

Thousands of miles to the south on Friday, areas of rain and mountain snow can slow travel along I-40 in parts of Arizona and New Mexico.

Thousands of miles to the northeast on Friday, ahead of the massive weekend storm, a swath of snow will streak along the Canada, U.S. border from the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence Valley, northern Maine and the Maritimes. Up to several inches of snow will fall.

Weekend Snowstorm to Reach Thousands of Miles

The main storm this weekend will begin to put down snow across the northern Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma on Saturday.

As the storm rolls out, heavy snow will develop later Saturday over central Kansas and will continue along a northeasterly path Saturday night and Sunday through northwestern Missouri, central and southeastern Iowa and Wisconsin, much of northern Michigan and across central Ontario, southern Quebec and northern New Brunswick.

Portions of the central Plains, Upper Midwest and southeastern Canada could be on the receiving end of a foot (30 cm) of snow.

Ice and a wintry mix is also another concern for travelers with the storm from part of central Oklahoma to southern Michigan, southern Ontario, along the St. Lawrence River in Ontario, northern upstate New York, northern New England central and southern New Brunswick. Enough ice can accumulate in part of this area to bring down trees and power lines.

The snow and ice could bring vehicles to a crawl or possibly shut down portions of I-29, I-35, I-70, I-80 and I-90 in the U.S., and highways 2, 20, 40 and 401 in Canada.

Rain, Flooding and Fog

On the southeastern flank of the storm from central and coastal Texas to southern New England, drenching rain will fall.

Some of the rain will be heavy enough to cause flooding.

Episodes of dense fog could also be a player in slowing ground travel and causing flight delays, especially from around the Great Lakes to the Northeast.

Dangerous Thunderstorms, Tornado Risk

Farther south, there is the risk of damaging thunderstorms and tornadoes from parts of central Texas to the southern tip of Indiana Saturday and Saturday night, with the risk of locally severe thunderstorms farther east on Sunday.

Storm, Rain Remnants Reach East Coast

A cold front associated with the storm system will push showers and thunderstorms to the Atlantic Seaboard late in the weekend. Downpours, poor visibility and locally gusty winds could cause travel delays during this time from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Charlotte and Atlanta Sunday afternoon and evening. Until then, much of the area will bask in record-challenging warmth.

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By Monday, most of the direct effects from the storm will diminish, and travel conditions will improve over the Central and Eastern states.

Rain will be restricted to the southern Atlantic Seaboard, and colder air will be sweeping across the Midwest and into the East. Bands of lake-effect snow can cause localized travel problems downwind of the Great Lakes.

Better Travel Conditions by Christmas Eve

In much of the Southwest, the weather will be good for travel, spanning Saturday right through Christmas Day.

Over much of the nation, travel weather for Tuesday and Christmas Day will be good.

Some snow could fall on parts of Colorado on Christmas Day, and rain showers may hug the Atlantic Coast from Florida to North Carolina.

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Friday, Dec. 20, 2013

Waikiki Beach, Hawaii (Shutterstock)

SAN FRANCISCO - Huge tsunamis with waves as high as a four-story building could inundate the island of Oahu, washing out Waikiki Beach and flooding the island's main power plant, a new study finds.

"Any of us who watched the Tohoku tsunami footage on television had to have been affected by the scale of what they saw in real time," said study co-author Rhett Butler, the interim director of the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology. "People looked at that and said, 'Could it happen here?'"

The answer seems to be yes, at least if new evidence and modeling can be corroborated.

Ancient traces of historical tsunamison both Hawaii Island and the Aleutian Islands in Alaska suggest that monster earthquakes at the juncture of the Pacific and the North American plates can trigger giant tsunamis bigger than Tohoku size every 325 years. [10 Tsunamis That Changed History]

The findings were presented here Thursday (Dec. 12) and Friday (Dec. 13) at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

Monster waves

Archaeobotanist David Birney was excavating in Makauwahi Sinkhole on Kauai, Hawaii, when he found huge deposits of coral, shells, beach gravel and other marine sediments inside a cave in the area. When the team dated the sediments, they found they had accumulated there between around 1424 and 1660.

The giant mound of sediment - enough to fill about nine huge containers for shipping sea cargo - made it unlikely that the material somehow made it through the tiny entrance to the cave, Butler said.

The only other way the material could have entered the cave is if a tsunami surge breached a cobbled barrier on the outside and carried it over the top of the cave, which was about 23.6 feet (7.2 meters) above sea level.

To see how big an earthquake would be required to cause such a huge wave, the team computer-modeled tsunamis at various locations in Hawaii and the Alaskan area. They found that given the location of the cave and the size of the wave required, a magnitude-9.25 earthquake near the Aleutian Islands would be required to elevate waves enough to deposit the marine sediments in the cave. Earthquakes on the scale of the magnitude-9.0 Tohoku temblor, by contrast, would only trigger waves less than half the necessary size. [7 Ways Japan's Earthquake Affected Earth]

"These are huge earthquakes, and none of them came even close," Butler said. "Only a very, very large event in the Aleutians could actually get the hole wet and potentially put the material into that hole," referring to the cave where the deposits were found.

In a separate talk presented on Thursday, researchers said they found evidence of six massive earthquakes that struck in the past 1,700 years at Stardust Bay on Sedanka Island, in the Aleutian Island chain. Some of the traces of related tsunamis were found about 46 feet (14 m) above sea level, said study co-author Robert Witter, of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center.

From the sediment deposits, the team concluded that huge earthquakes large enough to trigger such tsunamis happened about every 325 years - and that the same fault rupture that triggered the Alaskan tsunamis probably also caused the inundation in Kauai.

Butler and his colleagues then modeled the effect of a magnitude-9.25 earthquake triggering a tsunami in the Aleutian Islands. He found that such a temblor would trigger monster waves on Oahu Island.

The tsunami would trigger 23-foot-high (7 m) waves off Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, and completely wash out the community around Oahu's Kailua Beach, where President Barack Obama likes to spend Christmas, Butler said.

Even more worrisome, Kahe Power Plant, the main power source on the island of Oahu, could be at risk. Though the power plant was built about 22 feet above sea level based on tsunamis in the 20th century, models predict that a monster earthquake could trigger 49-foot-high (15 m) waves at the plant.

Still, it's too soon to definitively link the Aleutian Island tsunamis with the monster wave that flooded the Kauai sinkhole. To get a sense of the true risk, the team needs to find evidence of other historic tsunamis around the Hawaii Islands, Butler said.

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.

• Top 10 Deadliest Natural Disasters in History
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This coming Saturday (Dec. 21) marks one of the four major way stations on the Earth's annual journey around the sun.

Because of the tilt in the Earth's axis of rotation, the sun appears to rise and fall in our sky over the course of a year. It's not the sun itself moving, but the Earth moving relative to the sun.

The Earth's axis currently points in a northerly direction close to the second-magnitude star Polaris, also known as the Pole Star. Everything in the sky, including the sun, appears to revolve around this almost fixed point in the sky. [Season to Season: Earth's Equinoxes & Solstices (Infographic)]

Because the Earth's axis points to Polaris no matter where Earth happens to be in its orbit, the sun appears to move over the year from 23.5 degrees north of the celestial equator on June 21 to 23.5 degrees south of the celestial equator on Dec. 21.

The sun crosses the equator travelling northward around March 21 and going southward on Sept. 21, in celestial events known as "equinoxes" (from the Latin for "equal night," as day and night are of roughly equivalent length on these dates.) The exact dates vary a little bit from year to year because of leap years.

On Dec. 21, the sun stops moving southward, pauses, and then starts moving northward. This pause is called the "solstice," from the Latin words "sol" for "sun" and "sisto" for "stop." Similarly, on June 21 the sun stops moving northward and starts moving southward.

These four dates have been extremely important to humanity since we first started to grow crops 10,000 years ago. Our ancestors have built amazing structures over the millennia to track these important landmarks. For example, Stonehenge in England was built as an astronomical observatory, its stones precisely oriented to detect the extremes of the sun's movement.

Our calendar is based on the dates of the equinoxes and solstices, though errors over the years have caused the calendar to shift by 10 days from the celestial dates. Many cultures in the world use the winter solstice to mark the beginning of the year. The other three dates neatly divide the year into quarters, or seasons.

The accompanying chart shows what the sky would look like this coming Saturday at precisely 12:11 p.m. EST (1711 GMT), if somehow the sun's light could be dimmed so that you could see the background stars. The sun is traveling from right to left along the green line, called the "ecliptic" because eclipses happen along it. The sun is as far south as it can get at that instant, and begins moving northward immediately.

The celestial equator is marked by the red line, far to the north of the sun's position. You can see the inner planets gathered around the sun. Venus, off to the left, is moving toward the right, and will pass between us and the sun on Jan. 11. Mercury, to the right, is moving to the left and will pass behind the sun on Dec. 29. Pluto is on the far side of the sun and will pass behind it on Jan. 1.

Notice the Milky Way crossing diagonally through the chart. That's because our solar system is not oriented in any particular way relative to the plane of the Milky Way. The center of the Milky Way is almost directly below the sun's position on Dec. 21, something that was made much of last year. As astronomers pointed out repeatedly then, the sun passes in front of the Milky Way's center every year, not just in 2012. Because the Milky Way's center is so far away, 27,000 light-years distant, it has no measurable effect on the Earth.

For some odd reason, the winter solstice has come to be known as "the first day of winter" while the summer solstice continues to be called correctly "midsummer's day." Although Dec. 21 gets less sunshine than any other day in the year in the Northern Hemisphere, it is far from the coldest day of the year, because the weather always lags a month or two behind the exact calendar dates.

This article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on SPACE.com.

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Today (Dec. 21), those living in the Northern Hemisphere celebrate the mark of increasingly longer days, those in the Southern Hemisphere will transition to shorter days, and those at the equator won't notice much of a difference at all.

The global discrepancy in seasonal sunlight results from Earth's 23.5-degree tilt on its axis: During the Northern Hemisphere winter, the Earth is tilted directly away from the sun, and during the summer, it is tilted directly toward the sun. The equator does not experience much of a change during the year since it sits in the middle of the axis.

For many ancient civilizations that struggled to subsist through harsh winter months, the winter solstice marked a time of spiritual rejoice and celebration. Modern heating technology and the globalization of food markets make the seasonal transition remarkably easier for modern humans to survive, but people still do celebrate the day with festivities and rituals, including a tradition of reading poetry and eating pomegranates in Iran, and the Guatemalan ritual known as polo voladore -- or "flying pole dance" -- in which three men climb to the top of a 50-foot-tall pole and perform a risky dance to flutes and drums. [Winter Solstice: Sunrise & Sunset Times in US Cities]

Still other people celebrate the day by tuning into the spiritual rituals of ancient civilizations and visiting the sites of winter solstice tributes. Here are six archaeological sites that researchers believe pay tribute to the winter solstice:

1. Stonehenge, England

Stonehenge -- one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world -- is an arrangement of rocks carefully positioned on barren ground in southern England. The megalith, which may have been a burial site, was built between 3000 B.C. and 2000 B.C., over the course of roughly 1,500 years, in a series of several major phases.

When the sun sets on the winter solstice, its rays align with what are known as the central Altar stone and the Slaughter stone -- an event that hundreds of families, tourists, Wiccans, and others visit each year to experience what researchers believe was an important spiritual event for those responsible for creating the monument. [5 Strange Theories About Stonehenge]

2. Newgrange, Ireland

The Newgrange monument is located northeastern Ireland, and is thought to date back to about 3200 B.C. The mound, with grass on its roof, rises from a green field and, inside, contains a series of tunnels and channels. During sunrise on the winter solstice, the sun pours into the main chambers, which researchers have interpreted to mean it was built to celebrate this special day of the year.

3. Maeshowe, Scotland

Built in Orkney, Scotland, around 2800 B.C., Maeshowe is another burial ground that appears as a grassy mound rising about 24 feet above a grassy field. Similar to Ireland's Newgrange, the inside of the mound contains a maze of chambers and passageways that become illuminated by sunlight during the winter solstice.

4. Goseck circle, Germany

The Goseck circle is a series of concentric rings dug into the ground -- the largest of which measures about 246 feet in diameter -- located in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It dates back to about 4900 B.C., but was forgotten and covered by a wheat field before being discovered through aerial surveys in the early 1990s. Archaeological remains suggest Goseck circle was the site of religious rituals, such as sacrifices.

Upon discovery and excavation, researchers realized that two gates cut into the outermost circle aligned with the sunrise and sunset of the winter solstice, suggesting this the circle was somehow a tribute to the solstice.

5. Tulum, Mexico

Located on the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Tulum is an ancient stone-walled Mayan city whose population collapsed around the 15th century when Spanish settlers had begun to occupy Mexico, bringing new disease that wiped out large portions of the Mexican population. Much of the stone buildings that made up the city still stand today. One of these buildings contains a small hole at its top that produces a starburst effect when the sun rises on the winter (and summer) solstice.

6. Stone lines at Cerro del Gentil pyramid, Peru

Earlier this year, researchers discovered two stone lines that, when approached straight on, appear to frame Peru's Cerro del Gentil pyramid in the distance. The lines are located roughly 1.2 miles southeast of the pyramid, and extend about 1,640 feet. Using 3D-modeling software, the researchers discovered that the winter solstice sun sets exactly where the lines converge on the pyramid in the horizon.

Follow Laura Poppick on Twitter. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.

• In Photos: Amazing Ruins of the Ancient World
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Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013

Fire crews work to contain the fire atop Pfeiffer Ridge, Monday, Dec. 16, 2013, in Big Sur, Calif. The wildfire burning Monday in the Big Sur area of California destroyed at least 15 homes and forced about 100 people to evacuate as it chewed through dry vegetation on its way toward the ocean. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

As California heads into its third consecutive dry winter with no relief in sight, firefighters continue to battle a late-fall blaze in Big Sur.

Extremely dry vegetation and flame-fanning winds have fueled the fire, which began on Dec. 16.

It was more than 85 percent contained Friday, after destroying several homes and forcing about 100 evacuations this week.

While the cause remains unknown, according to the U.S. Forest Service, the drought conditions are a dangerous setup.

"Usually it's wetter by this time of year, but we're in a dry cycle. We've had very little rain," Lynn Olson, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service, told the Associated Press.

"The warm winds, the warm weather, the dry conditions just line the pins all up."

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Currently, more than 75 percent of the state is enduring some degree of drought, while nearly 8 percent is suffering from extreme to exceptional drought.

Fire season for the area usually dies down after the middle of fall, when rain is more common for the region. December kicks off the wet season for the year, as monthly precipitation totals build through March.

This year, however, could mark an exception to the norm.

"It will remain dry through February and probably early March in California," AccuWeather.com Lead Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said.

"It's possible that a system or two could reach the state, but not enough to put a dent in the drought."

Winter 2013-2014 could become the third consecutive dry winter for the California, which relies on snowpack to boost the water supply in its reservoirs.

California's drought has worsened this year overall making it the driest state in the West as of mid-December. Oregon and Nevada take a close second and third, respectively.

"2013 will probably end up the driest year on record for the state of California," Pastelok said. "The reservoirs are already hurting from last winter's drought; this will be a serious situation."

Meanwhile, most of the U.S. has seen significant improvement over the course of 2013.

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Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013

The above satellite image shows storms moving across the middle of the country. (AccuWeather)

As more than 94 million take to the roads and skies this weekend, a storm has begun to unfold threatening to hinder early Christmas travel.

A heavy glaze of ice has begun to coat trees, power lines in portions of central Oklahoma to central Missouri. The ice storm will spread in to the upper reaches of the Northeast later this weekend.

Thunderstorms are increasing from eastern Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley and are likely to produce tornadoes Saturday afternoon and evening.

Heavier snow will likely develop later Saturday farther north and west of the ice over portions of Kansas, continuing northeastward up into northern Michigan and across central Ontario.

Flooding will occur in areas with and without substantial snow on the ground, centered over the Ohio and lower Mississippi valleys.

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Rain, fog, ice and snow will delay ground travel in the I-35, I-44, I-40, I-70, I-80 and I-90 corridors.

It is highly likely that hundreds of flights will be delayed or cancelled directly or indirectly from the storm nationwide. This will be due to poor visibility, thunderstorms in the vicinity and deicing activities in the storm and aircraft and crews not reaching their destination as scheduled.

UPDATES: (All times are listed in CST)

11:10 a.m. Saturday: Storm total rainfall (Inches) from official reporting sides include: Little Rock, Ark., 4.37; Poplar Bluff, Mo., 3.27; Cairo, Ill., 3.33; and Washington, Ind., 2.48.

10:40 a.m. Saturday: Moderate to major river flooding is forecast for lesser rivers in the Ohio Valley, by the NWS River Forecast Center.

10:10 a.m. Saturday: In the heart of the ice storm, American Electric Power reports that nearly 6,200 are without electricity in Oklahoma, including more than 4,200 in Tulsa, Okla.

9:50 a.m. Saturday: Conditions are becoming more favorable for severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts and a few intense tornadoes from part of northeastern Texas to much of western and central Louisiana to southern Arkansas at this time until this evening.

9:00 a.m. Saturday: MODOT is reporting that multiple secondary roads in southeastern Missouri are experiencing poor drainage area flooding. Some "letter" routes are closed.

9:00 a.m. Saturday: At Chicago O'Hare Airport, according to FlightStats, delays are excessive due. Aircraft from other airports are running behind schedule.

8:40 a.m. Saturday: The temperature is 15 degrees with a visibility of 1/16 of a mile in freezing fog at Denver International Airport. Approximately 600 outgoing flights may delayed due to deicing activities according to FlightStats.

8:40 a.m. Saturday: Travel on I-35 in central Oklahoma is being discouraged by ODOT.

8:34 a.m. Saturday: Public reports up to 1/2 an inch of ice on trees along the Will Rogers Turnpike in northeastern Oklahoma.

8:30 a.m. Saturday: In the heart of the ice storm, American Electric Power reports that nearly 4,700 are without electricity in Oklahoma, including more than 1,700 in Tulsa, Okla.

7:50 a.m. Saturday: Street flooding on the southern side of Carbondale, Ill., with 3.32 inches of rain since midnight, according to NWS spotter.

7:35 a.m. Saturday: Widespread flooding of streets is occurring in Little Rock, Ark. Pulaski County, Ark., has received between 1.5 and 3.5 inches of rain thus far from the storm.

7:30 a.m. Saturday: Storm total rainfall close to 3 inches so far near Vincennes, Ind., according to NWS spotter.

7:00 a.m. Saturday: Little Rock, Ark., has received 2.40 inches of rain thus far from the storm with 2.15 inches falling on Cairo, Ill. With many hours of rain to go, flash flood warnings have been issued from Arkansas to southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois.

4:05 a.m. Saturday: A NWS employee reported 1/3 of an inch of ice on trees and elevated surfaces around Tulsa, Okla.

3:23 a.m. Saturday: A thin glaze of ice contributed to multiple vehicle accidents in East Wichita, Kan., according to Sedgwick County emergency dispatch.

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The Books-A-Million store is seen damaged by heavy wind, rain and possibly a tornado during a major storm in Monroe, La., Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

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