In case you missed it: Amtrak train halted by falling tree with hundreds on board; Popular Mediterranean vacation spot hit by vicious storm
Thousands of homes flooded in California this week as intense rain inundated the region.
The Russian River in Sonoma Couty, California, rose to dangerous levels early this week, overtaking nearby towns.
Guerneville and Monte Rio were eventually flooded to the point where there was no access in or out, creating a disaster for rescue efforts.
Of the 4,500 who live in Guerneville, half evacuated.
"You cannot get into or out of town," officials said. "Guerneville is officially an island."
The river rose to near 46 feet on Wednesday, the highest level in 25 years, according to the Associated Press. This was just shy of the all-time record of 49.5 feet.
One woman suffering a serious medical issue had to be airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital on Wednesday, the sheriff's office said.
A mudslide near Monte Rio blocked a roadway in both directions, trapping people in the debris. They were eventually freed.
A snowstorm battered the northwestern U.S. this week, creating a travel nightmare for passengers on an Amtrak train.
The LA-bound train was struck by a falling tree, halting the journey with 183 passengers on board.
Passengers were kept on the train for 36 hours while crews dug out a path amid the heavy snow. Officials made the decision to keep the passengers on board as the train still had power, but neighboring towns in the rural area did not.
Once the passengers were clear to exit, they were taken back to Eugene, Oregon, and then Portland, a Union Pacific official told OregonLive.
Passengers with pets on board were able to go outside periodically, but others had to remain on board with the windows closed, OregonLive said.
Despite the nightmarish ordeal, passengers were reportedly telling loved ones that morale on the train was "okay."
A major winter storm tore through the Plains from Saturday into Sunday morning, dropping several inches of snow and producing whiteout conditions.
Heavy snow accumulated up to 10 inches while very windy conditions caused near-zero visibility conditions.
In Neenah, Wisconsin, a 131-vehicle pileup on I-41 left one person dead and 71 others injured on Sunday.
State police across the region pleaded residents to avoid travel. One Nebraska trooper said he "had never seen anything like it."
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Troopers on the road report that there are still people attempting to travel in this blizzard. <br><br>One just said, "I've never seen anything like this."<br><br>Please stop. Wait it out. I-80 is still CLOSED from West Omaha to Grand Island. <a href="https://t.co/ZUKemOHDej">pic.twitter.com/ZUKemOHDej</a></p>— NEStatePatrol (@NEStatePatrol) <a href="https://twitter.com/NEStatePatrol/status/1099502661588733953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2019</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js</center>
Another massive pileup took place in Ontario on Monday, involving at least 70 cars. Minor injuries were reported.
Strong winds roared over the Midwest and Northeast on Sunday, cutting power to over 500,000.
Homes and other buildings collapsed in some areas due to the intense winds, gusting past 60 mph in some areas.
An 86-year-old woman had to be rescued in central Pennsylvania after being trapped when a 100-foot tree fell on her home.
A fierce storm battered Malta, a set of Islands in the Mediterranean Sea this week.
The storm was the worst to hit the islands in more than 30 years, the country's prime minister said.
Strong winds past 80 mph at times littered roads with downed trees, power lines and other debris, turning them into an obstacle course for anyone who dared to venture out. Numerous road closures were reported.
Waves pounded coastal areas, flooding promenades and washing fish up onto the land.
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">When there's a storm, catch fish ð ! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Malta?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Malta</a> <a href="https://t.co/fjariLovP3">pic.twitter.com/fjariLovP3</a></p>— Alex (@alex_dhag) <a href="https://twitter.com/alex_dhag/status/1099732534324285441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2019</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js</center>
A super typhoon churned in the western Pacific ocean this week, becoming the strongest system to spawn in the area in the month of February.
The storm, named Wutip, slammed Guam with flooding rain and dangerous winds.
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