By Katy Galimberti, AccuWeather staff writer
An EF3 tornado took the lives of two people in Ruston, Louisiana, this week amid an outbreak of severe weather.
The town, located in the northern part of the state, suffered extensive damage from the twister, which packed winds up to 165 mph.
"It's bad, real bad," Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker told the local paper, The News Star. "We took a direct hit."
The victims were identified as Kendra Butler, 34, and her 14-year-old son, Remington Butler. The two were killed when a tree fell through their home.
Trained spotters and law enforcement also confirmed significant damage to the campus of Louisiana Tech. The university announced on Twitter Thursday morning that the school was closed as a result of the tornado. Schools throughout Lincoln Parish announced they would be closed Thursday.
At least 16,000 people lost power throughout the state.
The tornado that struck Ruston, Louisiana Wednesday night through Thursday tore through the Louisiana Tech University campus, wreaking havoc on the softball and soccer fields. (Twitter/Cory Diaz/Monroe News-Star)
The tornado came from the same system that produced significant, deadly flooding earlier in the week.
Three people were killed after they drove their vehicle through floodwaters and were swept away south of Dublin, Texas.
Drenching rain fell across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, even at a rate of 1.50 inches per hour at one point on Tuesday.
At least a dozen cars parked at a Dallas Love Field Airport garage were completely submerged in water. The Fort Worth police department carried out at least 20 high-water rescues during the storm.
Dangerous situation at @DallasLoveField Airport. 50+ cars are completely submerged in water. All lower levels are flooding. Crews not able to pump water out. #IamUp @News8Daybreak @wfaa @NBCDFW @CBSDFW @NBCDFWWeather @TxStormChasers @dallasnews
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Meanwhile, residents across California and much of the Southwest endured their first significant heat wave of the year.
In Fresno, California, Phoenix and Las Vegas, temperatures climbed into the 90s on Wednesday. Death Valley, California, surged above the century mark Tuesday, with a high of 102 F. By Thursday, Death Valley had climbed to 109.
Winter weather has held firm in some areas of the country, with spots in New England and Alaska receiving fresh snow this week.
In Caribou, Maine, a 163-day streak came to an end when there was finally less than an inch of snow on the ground on April 21, breaking a record set during the 2002-2003 snow season.
It was the longest record of its kind; the foot of snow that's fallen so far in April helped to maintain the streak.
Huffman Alaska, outside of Anchorage, looked like a winter wonderland this week after a late-April spell of snowfall. (Twitter / Melissa Frey)
Some 3,000 miles away in Anchorage, Alaska, a snowfall record that has stood for more than half a century was toppled on Tuesday.
Alaska’s most populated city was blanketed in measurable snow for the seventh day in a row, the latest stretch of snowy days in the city’s history.
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A heat wave in India swelled to dangerous levels this week.
Temperatures soared in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Wednesday as a new high temperature was set for the year in New Delhi when the mercury reached 43 C (109 F).
India endures lengthy heat waves each year prior to monsoon season. This heat arrived earlier than normal than recent years, putting more people at risk for heat-related illnesses. More than 6,000 heat-related deaths have been reported in India since 2010, according to the Times of India.
Heavy rainfall turned roadways into raging rivers in parts of eastern South Africa Monday night into Tuesday, killing 70.
The number of deaths may continue to rise as rescue crews work to dig through debris from mudslides and floodwaters continue to surge through the area.
Durban was one of the hardest-hit areas with more than 6 inches (150 mm) falling on the city within a 12-hour period. Normal rainfall for the entire month of April is only around 3.5 inches (90 mm).
The flooding resulted in damaged homes, collapsed walls and mudslides across the Durban area.
At least 28 people were killed in a landslide in the southwestern Colombian province of Cauca, according to BBC News.
Una avalancha destruyó 7 viviendas en el municipio de Rosas en el Cauca y sepultó a familias que vivían allí. Hasta el momento hay 8 personas fallecidas y la vía Panamericana entre Popayán y Pasta está interrumpida.
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The landslide, which was caused by heavy rain, occurred early Sunday morning in Rosas, a municipality in the Cauca department.
A large part of a mountain broke off, burying at least eight houses, the country’s disaster relief agency reported.
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