Birmingham, AL – Pre-dawn winds gusting to more than 40 miles per hour blew down trees and caused scattered damage early today, leaving about 42,000 homes and businesses without power in central Alabama.
Several school systems canceled classes or opened late because of the blackouts, and police in Leeds said they were checking reports that a falling tree crushed a mobile home with people inside as a line of storms blew through about 3:45 a.m.
Trees crisscrossed some roads, slowing travel, and numerous wrecks brought morning rush hour traffic standstill in metro Birmingham.
Forecasters said the storms were ahead of a cold front that would bring a chance of snow flurries by earlyWednesday.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)