Amy Held

Buildings crushed, tractor trailers tipped, trees and power lines down. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said daylight dawning on the devastation helped crews assessing the damage. In Butler County, the coroner reported rescue workers found a man dead in a home turned upside down.

Buildings crushed, tractor trailers tipped, trees and power lines down. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said daylight dawning on the devastation helped crews assessing the damage. In Butler County, the coroner reported rescue workers found a man dead in a home turned upside down.

Scenes from a massive system that swept from Texas Friday, where a wind-whipped dust storm led to three car crash fatalities, into the southeast a day later, where residents were told to take shelter. as forecasters issued a rare high-risk Level 5 warning of severe thunderstorms with the potential for violent, long-lasting tornadoes.

Scenes from a massive system that swept from Texas Friday, where a wind-whipped dust storm led to three car crash fatalities, into the southeast a day later, where residents were told to take shelter. as forecasters issued a rare high-risk Level 5 warning of severe thunderstorms with the potential for violent, long-lasting tornadoes.

In Texas and Oklahoma Saturday, dry winds continue to drive wildfires.

In Texas and Oklahoma Saturday, dry winds continue to drive wildfires.

Rain over burn scars led to mudslides trapping cars in the Los Angeles area. The fire department responded, and a member had his vehicle swept off the road and into the ocean by debris flow, according to a spokesman. Mud has even seeped into homes, including Jill Forders near Pasadena.

Rain over burn scars led to mudslides trapping cars in the Los Angeles area. The fire department responded, and a member had his vehicle swept off the road and into the ocean by debris flow, according to a spokesman. Mud has even seeped into homes, including Jill Forders near Pasadena.

That same system moved eastward, says forecaster Bob Orovac.

That same system moved eastward, says forecaster Bob Orovac.

Kentucky's governor says historic flooding closed hundreds of roads. By Sunday, winds were picking up all along the East Coast, bringing the risk of outages. And in the Northern Plains, Arctic air is bringing life-threatening cold into the negative 30s. Amy Held, NPR News.

Kentucky's governor says historic flooding closed hundreds of roads. By Sunday, winds were picking up all along the East Coast, bringing the risk of outages. And in the Northern Plains, Arctic air is bringing life-threatening cold into the negative 30s. Amy Held, NPR News.

It's two and a half times the size of our Milky Way. Never before has a telescope detected so many rings in a galaxy. This cosmic bullseye has nine star-filled rings, with what looks like an arrow really a smaller blue dwarf galaxy piercing the heart. It traveled like a dart, NASA says, some 50 million years ago, leaving what looks like a ripple linked by a trail of gas.

It's two and a half times the size of our Milky Way. Never before has a telescope detected so many rings in a galaxy. This cosmic bullseye has nine star-filled rings, with what looks like an arrow really a smaller blue dwarf galaxy piercing the heart. It traveled like a dart, NASA says, some 50 million years ago, leaving what looks like a ripple linked by a trail of gas.

Our universe has billions of galaxies, huge groups of stars and other matter glued together by gravity, thought to form and grow by collisions and mergers. What is really rare is for one galaxy to dive through the center of another. And the rings around this bullseye boost a long-established theory, NASA says. They appear to have moved outward almost exactly as models predicted. Amy Held, NPR News.

Our universe has billions of galaxies, huge groups of stars and other matter glued together by gravity, thought to form and grow by collisions and mergers. What is really rare is for one galaxy to dive through the center of another. And the rings around this bullseye boost a long-established theory, NASA says. They appear to have moved outward almost exactly as models predicted. Amy Held, NPR News.

Negative wind chills forecast early this week spurred the National Weather Service to issue extreme cold advisories. As far south as Texas, Alabama, and Georgia, in North Dakota, there's a wind chill of 55 below possible. Widespread cold that's not just a nuisance, but can be life-threatening. with frostbite and hypothermia possible. Multiple cities are opening warming centers.

Negative wind chills forecast early this week spurred the National Weather Service to issue extreme cold advisories. As far south as Texas, Alabama, and Georgia, in North Dakota, there's a wind chill of 55 below possible. Widespread cold that's not just a nuisance, but can be life-threatening. with frostbite and hypothermia possible. Multiple cities are opening warming centers.

Along the East Coast, several inches of snow are set to fall before the bitter cold arrives by Monday. Some of the Arctic air mass also set to reach portions of the western U.S. In Southern California, however, the concern is the return of fierce Santa Ana winds tomorrow. That, plus low humidity, create more critical fire weather risk. Amy Held and Pierre Neuss.

Along the East Coast, several inches of snow are set to fall before the bitter cold arrives by Monday. Some of the Arctic air mass also set to reach portions of the western U.S. In Southern California, however, the concern is the return of fierce Santa Ana winds tomorrow. That, plus low humidity, create more critical fire weather risk. Amy Held and Pierre Neuss.