• Deadly storms hit Midwest

    Derik Holtmann / Belleville News-Democrat via AP

    A pedestrian crosses flooded Illinois state route 161 in Belleville, Ill., April 18, 2013, after a quarter mile stretch of the road was quickly covered in water from heavy rains that were too much for the storm drains to handle.

    Much of the Midwest has been affected by a big spring storm that left flooding in Illinois. Residents in Gurnee, Ill., said it's the worst flooding they've seen in a decade and officials are warning it could be a week or two before flood levels significantly drop.  NBC's John Yang report.

    NBC News reports:

    A massive and deadly weather system carrying potentially severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and possibly even tornadoes was soaking the nation’s midsection on Thursday, with flash floods reported in Chicago and heavy rain expected to cause major flooding along the Mississippi River. The weather was said to be responsible for two deaths.

    Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn declared a state of emergency across Illinois as thousands of people struggled with flood damage even as another wave of wet weather was on the way.

     

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  • Sandstorm shrouds parts of China in orangish darkness

    AFP - Getty Images

    Motorists drive with their lights during a heavy sandstorm in Yecheng county, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

    AFP - Getty Images

    Commuters travel during a heavy sandstorm in Yecheng county, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

    A sandstorm blankets northwest China due to a cold snap that also brought strong winds. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

    A spring sandstorm blanketed areas of northwest China in darkness on Tuesday. Commuters turned on their emergency lights, and pedestrians covered their mouths and noses to protect themselves from dust kicked up by high winds.

    The sandstorm affected several cities including Kashi, Hetian and Kezhou.

    Editor's Note: Images were shot on April 16, and made available to NBC News today.

     

    Str / AFP - Getty Images

    Motorists drive with their lights during a heavy sandstorm in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

  • Spring baseball game uncovered from 8 inches of snow

    Jack Dempsey / AP

    New York Mets' Jonathon Niese throws in the snow before the start of a baseball doubleheader between the New York Mets and Colorado Rockies on April 16 in Denver.

    Jack Dempsey / AP

    Coors Field grounds crew and stadium employees shovel snow before the start of a baseball doubleheader between the New York Mets and Colorado Rockies on April 16 in Denver.

    By Pat Graham, AP Sports Writer

    Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort is among the grounds crew shoveling snow in the hope his team will squeeze in a doubleheader against the New York Mets on Tuesday.

    Nearly an hour before first pitch at 3:10 p.m. EDT, the crew had hauled off a majority of the eight inches of snow that covered the outfield grass. There were still mounds stacked up in front of the dugouts. Continue reading.

    Jack Dempsey / AP

    Dan O'Dowd, Executive Vice President, Chief Baseball Officer/General Manager and Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort, right, survey the snow while shoveling before the start of a baseball doubleheader between the New York Mets and the Colorado Rockies on April 16 in Denver.

    Slideshow: Signs of Spring

    Stephanie Pilick / AP

    Warming weather and longer days bring out the first signs of Spring.

    Launch slideshow

     

  • Spring storm dumps more than a foot of snow in parts of Dakotas

    Michael Vosburg / The Forum via AP

    Nancy Jones shovels her sidewalk, April 15, in Fargo, N.D. As much as 1½ feet of snow fell in western and central North Dakota and northern South Dakota on Sunday.

    From weather.com:

    The overall weather pattern this upcoming week is shaping up to potentially be deja vu, if you'll pardon us saying so, as Winter Storm Yogi affects some of the same parts of the country as Winter Storm Walda did last week.

    Much like we saw this past week, cold air will be entrenched across the northern/central Plains and Upper Midwest. Meanwhile, warm and moist air will surge northward from the Gulf of Mexico. In between, we'll have a frontal zone with low pressure riding along it that will head northeastward with time.

    Read more.

  • Trees toppled, homes destroyed by powerful storms in Missouri and Arkansas

    David Carson / Post-Dispatch via AP

    Susan Strebeck looks at a tree that landed on the roof of her home in Hazelwood, Mo., after a storm blew through the area on April 10.

    By John Newland and Matthew DeLuca, NBC News

    A forceful storm system whipped tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across Missouri and Arkansas late Wednesday, wrecking homes, downing power lines and injuring multiple people in both states.

    Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency as the severe storm system that he said included tornadoes walloped suburbs west and southwest of St. Louis. Read full story

    Danny Johnston / AP

    Larry Gammill, left, who attends Botkinburg Foursquare Church, and his friend Tim Parks walk in front of what is left of the church in Botkinburg, Ark., on April 11, 2013, after a severe storm struck the building the night before.

    David Carson / Post-Dispatch via AP

    A damaged home in Hazelwood, Mo., on April 10.

    David Carson / Post-Dispatch via AP

    A car lays on its side in Hazelwood, Mo., after a storm blew through the area on April 10.

     

  • Hibernating Northeasterners flock to sunshine, warm weather

    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    People relax along the East River in lower Manhattan during warm weather on April 9 in New York City. For the first time since October, temperatures are expected to rise above 70 degrees this week in New York and surrounding areas.

    By STORM TEAM 4, NBCNewYork.com

    After one day of spring-like weather, it's already starting to feel like summer.

    Temperatures cracked the 80-degree mark Tuesday, tying a record 84 degrees at Newark Airport, set in 1991. The warmth brought a welcome reprieve to tri-state residents who endured a seemingly endless streak of chilly weather before Monday brought the warmest air of the year. Continue reading.

    Nabil K. Mark / Centre Daily Times via AP

    Penn State law student Ben Premack sits on his custom recumbent bicycle as his dogs pull him along the jogging path next to West Park Ave., in State College, Pa., on April 9. Premack customized his bicycle to help exercise his Tamaskan dogs which are bred to pull.

    Julio Cortez / AP

    Oliver Coby III, of Irvington, N.J., takes a photo of a cherry blossom tree at Branch Brook Park, on April 9 in Newark, N.J. Warm weather is expected this week, after the northern New Jersey region experienced frigid temperatures during the first couple of weeks of spring.

    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    People relax along the East River in lower Manhattan during warm weather on April 9 in New York City. For the first time since October, temperatures are expected to rise above 70 degrees this week in New York and surrounding areas.

    Slideshow: Signs of Spring

    Arie Kievit / EPA

    Warming weather and longer days bring out the first signs of Spring.

    Launch slideshow

  • Cherry trees blossom in Washington, DC

    Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

    The Washington Monument is reflected as a couple walk hand-in-hand beneath cherry trees along the Tidal Basin in Washington on April 8, 2013. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is in full swing, with peak bloom occurring early this week.

    earthcam.com

    From the National Cherry Blossom Festival website:

    The beautiful and delicate cherry blossoms cultivated in the National Mall and Memorial Parks have inspired generations of viewers since 1912. A gift from Japan, the flowering trees symbolize friendship between nations, the renewal of spring, and the ephemeral nature of life.

     

    Click to view live video from EarthCam’s Cherry Blossoms Cam

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  • Flooding kills at least 46 people in Argentina

    Daniel Garcia / AFP - Getty Images

    A soldier evacuates an elderly woman in a flooded street in La Plata, 39 miles southeast of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 3.

    Natacha Pisarenko / AP

    People embrace outside a club where the Red Cross set up a center to help flood victims in La Plata, in Argentina's Buenos Aires province, on April 4.

    Natacha Pisarenko / AP

    Vilma Gorostiaga cries outside her home as she dries her family pictures on the ground in La Plata, in Argentina's Buenos Aires province, on April 4.

    By Reuters

    Flash floods killed at least 46 people and forced about 1,500 residents to evacuate the Argentine city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires province, government officials said on Wednesday.

    Some people drowned after being trapped in their cars or while walking along city streets when the water rose suddenly on Tuesday night, while others were electrocuted, provincial governor Daniel Scioli told reporters. Continue reading.

    Natacha Pisarenko / AP

    Juan Fernandez sits inside a club where the Red Cross set up a help center for people affected by flooding after his home was damaged in La Plata, in Argentina's Buenos Aires province, on April 4.

    Previously on PhotoBlog:

  • Softball-sized hail smashes homes, cars in Texas

    Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle via AP

    Jeanne Malone, left, walks past Christine Hubbard as she holds a bowl full of hail stones she collected following a hail storm Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in Hitchcock, Texas. Thousands of people in the Houston and Galveston areas have lost electricity in overnight storms that dropped hail the size of baseballs and broke windows. Emergency officials say no injuries were reported.

    By Dale Lezon, The Houston Chronicle
    Residents in Hitchcock and Santa Fe woke up to broken roofs, shattered windows and dented cars after softball-sized hail battered the communities late Tuesday night.

    Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle via AP

    John Williams opens a plastic bag to cover up holes in a skylight of his trailer following the storm on Wednesday.

    Powerful thunderstorms raked the area about 11 p.m., sparking hail and downpours, said Patrick Blood, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The storms downed power lines and tree limbs. No injuries were reported.

    Hitchcock City Secretary Rose Marie Theiler, said she was asleep when she heard pounding on the side of her home. She looked out the window and saw huge icy balls bouncing across her yard.

    "I got up because it sounded like somebody was throwing a ball against the house," she said. Read full story.

    Brett Coomer /Houston Chronicle via AP

    Several Hitchcock Police cars sit under tarps after they were damaged by the hail storm on Wednesday,

    Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle via AP

    Bob Paulson checks on the damage to his rented truck following the storm.

     

  • Record rains, flooding in Buenos Aires kill 5

    Fernando Sturla / AFP - Getty Images

    A man rides a paddleboard after heavy rains lashed Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 2.

    A violent storm with torrential rain and powerful wind left five people dead Tuesday in Buenos Aires as it knocked out power, downed trees and damaged homes, officials said.

    A record 6.1 inches of rain fell in about two hours in some parts of the city.

    Martin Zabala / Xinhua via Zuma Press

    Vehicles tossed by the storm sit along a street in Buenos Aires.

    Enrique Marcarian / Reuters

    A woman looks at the flooded living room of her home.

    Enrique Marcarian / Reuters

    A man perches above the water next to a boat in a flooded street.

    Enrique Marcarian / Reuters

    Residents sit on a bench in a flooded public square.

    Norberto Lauria / Demotix via Corbis

    A wall collapsed at a school in San Fernando, north of Buenos Aires, due to heavy rain and wind.

  • Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review via AP

    Ladybugs emerge from hibernation in Washington

    After emerging from winter hibernation, hundreds of ladybird beetles, often called ladybugs, cluster on a shrub in Spokane, Wash., on March 31, 2013. The ladybird beetle is a gardener’s best friend, eating perhaps its weight in aphids daily. Strict carnivores, they eat no leafy vegetation.

    SLIDESHOW: Signs of Spring

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