California's deadly wildfires could come to an end in the coming days when a weekend storm douses historically dry terrain, but the storm will come with the potential for a different problem: flash floods.

A major storm spread heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across the southern United States on Wednesday, breaking snow records and treating the region to unaccustomed perils and wintertime joy.

Ireland has been hit with record wind gusts of 114 miles (183 kilometers) an hour as a winter storm batters the country and northern parts of the U.K. Schools have been closed, trains halted and hundreds of flights canceled in the Republic of Ireland,

Millions of people in Ireland and northern parts of the U.K. have heeded the advice of authorities to stay at home