More than 30,000 people have been told to leave their homes in flood-endangered areas across western Washington.

Homeowners, Pets Rescued | Snow, Rain Brings Floods | Winter Weather Section

Very heavy rains continued to fall across western Washington and northwest Oregon on Thursday, adding to the record rainfalls and heavy flooding.

High winds, heavy rain and warmer temperatures have combined to cause widespread avalanches, mudslides, flooding and road closures.

There has been rapid melting of recent heavy snows.

Flood warnings are in effect Thursday for 14 counties in western Washington and seven in eastern Washington, KIRO-TV in Seattle reported.

The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for about two dozen rivers in western Washington. They say rain-soaked hillsides are at a high risk for landslides.

Near Tacoma, about 26,000 people in suburban Orting and a surrounding valley are considered at risk. Some residents have sandbagged their homes. Tacoma's mayor has declared a civil emergency.

Throughout the state, dozens of highways were closed, including all east-west passes across the Cascade Mountains. A 20-mile stretch of Interstate 5 in southwestern Washington was also closed Wednesday evening.

Rain and heavy mountain snows spread into northern Idaho where flooding will soon become a concern. A mixture of rain and snow fell across Montana, but snow accumulations were minimal. A few inches of snow was reported over the mountain areas of western Wyoming and northern Colorado.

A cold front moving across the East Coast states brought showers and thunderstorms from the Carolinas to Florida. There were several reports of wind damage across southeast Virginia and eastern North Carolina with numerous trees down as well as some power lines and roof damage reported.

Across the northeast, freezing rain and sleet fell over much of interior Pennsylvania, southern New York and parts of central New England. Ice totaled over a half inch in many areas from northeast Pennsylvania into east central New York. Providence, R.I., set a record rainfall with 1.36 inches.

The freeze caused scattered power outages. Further to the north, snow fell from northern New York into northern New England where up to 6 inches of new snow was reported in areas.

It's nothing like 1953, when the northeast U.S. was hit by a severe ice storm which coated parts of Pennsylvania with up to 4 inches of ice. Two to three inches of freezing rain fell over southeastern New York and southern New England. Altogether, the storm caused 31 deaths and $2.5 million in damage.

Rain changed to snow from Ohio into western Pennsylvania as colder air filtered in through the day. Light snow also continued across much of Indiana and Michigan.

Colorado saw the other end of the thermometer. Wind-driven wildfires swept across parched grasslands about 25 miles northwest of Denver. The fires have destroyed at least four structures and prompted evacuations in parts of Boulder County.

Bone-Chilling Cold Sweeps Through Alaska

Alaskans are dealing with a nearly two-week-long cold snap that's even making the state's hardened residents shiver.

In some spots, the mercury is down to 60 below zero.

National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Brown said a "ridge" of sorts has developed over much of central Alaska east toward Canada.

That keeps other weather patterns from moving through. New conditions get pushed north or south while the affected area faces daily extremes.

The cold has grounded planes, disabled cars, frozen water pipes and even canceled several championship cross country ski races.

One man is burning the lumber he had planned to build a second home with to keep warm.