In pics: Florida sees first snowfall in 29 years as bitter cold grips US

Tallahassee, Florida’s capital in the far north of the “Sunshine State,” awoke Wednesday to a dusting of 0.1 inches of snow, the first significant measurement since 1989.

Florida Snowfall : It’s called snow, something residents of North Florida hadn’t seen in almost three decades until wednesday, and it is part of a deep-freeze striking the entire US East Coast.

The US National Weather Service warned that a major winter storm would bring heavy snow and ice, from Florida in the southeast up to New England and the Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday.

New York City was under a winter storm watch, with between three and six inches (8-15 centimeters) of snow expected from Wednesday night through Thursday.

Tallahassee, Florida’s capital in the far north of the “Sunshine State,” awoke Wednesday to a dusting of 0.1 inches of snow, the first significant measurement since 1989, according to the Weather Channel.

Floridians, more accustomed to hurricanes than this odd white substance, rushed to publish on social media their photos of snow covering their warm-weather flip-flop footwear and outdoor swimming pools.

#snowmageddon, they called it on Twitter.

The storm has already led to the closure of roads in northern Florida and southeastern Georgia, where governor Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in the coastal area.

Florida’s governor Rick Scott urged people in the northern part of his state “to prepare for extreme cold weather conditions, including potential snow, sleet or ice accumulations.”

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Stephen Paddock, Las Vegas suspect, was a gambler who drew little attention

Details about Mr. Paddock's career and livelihood were sparse, aside from observations by neighbors and family members

 

He was a high-stakes gambler recognized in the casinos of Nevada. He dabbled in real estate investments in Texas. His last known full-time employment was 30 years ago. He was twice divorced. He had a pilot’s license and had owned two single-engine planes.

While his motive for the mass Las Vegas shooting outside a Las Vegas casino on Sunday night is unknown, details of Stephen Paddock’s history pointed to an unmoored and highly unconventional life.

From his neighbors in a quiet retirement community in Mesquite, Nev., he drew little attention, unless it was for his extreme propensity to keep to himself. He displayed no strong religious or political views, his relatives said, and was not known for angry outbursts.

But he was the son of a bank robber who ultimately escaped from prison and spent most of the 1970s on the F.B.I.’s most wanted list. His girlfriend, sought for questioning by law enforcement officials after the shooting, had passed through Tokyo, officials said.

Details about Mr. Stephen Paddock’s career and livelihood were sparse, aside from observations by neighbors and family members that he routinely gambled large amounts of money. “He was a gambler, that was his job,” his brother, Eric Paddock, told reporters Monday at his home in Orlando. “He was a wealthy guy, playing video poker, who went cruising all the time and lived in a hotel room.”

Mr. Paddock and his three brothers were raised by their mother, who told the children that their father had died when in fact he was in prison, Eric Paddock said. Mr. Paddock’s father was convicted in 1961 of committing a series of bank robberies, and was sentenced to 20 years, but escaped from La Tuna federal prison in Texas in 1968 and then became a used-car dealer and.... Read Full Article