Winter storm blasts Eastern Seaboard

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 14 (UPI) -- A winter storm pummeled the U.S. Eastern Seaboard with rain and snow Wednesday, while new snow developed across the Northern Plains.

Precipitation from the mid-Atlantic to New England ranged from heavy rain to ice to heavy snow, with the highest snow totals expected over interior regions of northern New England, Accuweather.com reported. Drenching rain and melting snow caused flooding in some areas.

More snow was expected late Wednesday and early Thursday in the Upper Midwest, with some locations forecast to get three to six inches.

Severe weather triggered at least one tornado that touched down Tuesday near Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla., destroying cars and damaging two residential complexes, WKMG-TV in Orlando, Fla., reported. NASA said space shuttle operations were not affected.

One woman died Tuesday in Independence, La., when a tornado threw her into a vehicle, Accuweather said.