Weather Woes Besiege U.S.: Blizzards, Tornadoes, Tsunamis

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning. It's Tuesday, Jan. 18, which means you're back to school or work after spending Monday honoring acclaimed civil rights leader and Nobel Peach Prize recipient Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Here are some stories of interest Patch is following:

• Weather is front and center in the news with snowstorms impacting states from New England all the way south to North Carolina, causing car crashes and flight delays. In Massachusetts, wind gusts up to 66 mph have resulted in widespread power outages. Meanwhile, southwest Florida was pummeled by thunderstorms that produced at least five confirmed tornadoes, destroying homes and sending residents scurrying to Red Cross shelters. As if those weather woes aren't enough, an undersea volcano eruption triggered tsunami advisories along the West Coast.

• As hospitals continue to fill to capacity around much of the country due to the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19, a tragic story emerged out of Somerville, New Jersey. A 37-year-old mother died of pneumonia resulting from COVID-19 before ever having the chance to cradle her newborn baby boy.

• As the NFL postseason playoffs got underway Sunday, seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady surprised a 10-year-old boy with brain cancer with tickets to this year's Super Bowl in LA. Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs then went on to win the first playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-15.

• Seattle firefighters successfully rescued a dog nearly a week after the pup went missing during a landslide that swept a home off its foundation.

Nasty Weather Wreaks Havoc Around Country

More than five confirmed tornadoes touched down in southwest Florida Sunday as a cold front moved in, bringing severe thunderstorms and dangerous rip tides.

One tornado touched down touched in Lee County, Florida, destroying 28 homes, while another touched down Collier County, overturning a tractor-trailer truck. >> Watch FL Sheriff's Deputy Race Toward Tornado As Patrol Car Films, via Fort Myers, Florida, Patch

Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Authority estimated that more than 17,200 homes and businesses were without power Monday after a strong winter storm rolled in bringing snow, rain and strong, gusty winds that knocked down trees and power lines. >> MA Storm: Thousands Without Power Amid Wind, Snow, Rain, via Across Massachusetts, Patch

Mother Dies Of COVID-19 Before Holding Newborn

In another tragedy amid the continuing saga in the battle against the coronavirus, a New Jersey mother died of COVID-19-related pneumonia before getting a chance to hold her newborn son.

The 37-year-old Somerville, New Jersey, mother had three other children in addition to her newborn baby — ages 19 years old, 4 years old and 11 months. While caring for her children, Michelle Stani was a full-time student at Rutgers University where she was working on her master's degree in childhood education. >> NJ Mom Of 4 Dies Of COVID Shortly After Giving Birth, via Bridgewater, New Jersey, Patch

Quarterback Tom Brady Gifts Boy With Brain Cancer Super Bowl Tickets

Noah Reeb, 10, of Utah, credits seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady with helping him recover from two brain surgeries by sending his an inspiration video message before he went into the hospital.

After recovering, Noah's parents splurged on a trip to Tampa in October to see Tom Brady play in person. Sitting in the third row at the stadium, Noah held up a sign that read: "Tom Brady Helped Me Beat Cancer." Brady shook the little boy's hand and gave him the cap off his head.

The Reebs thought that was the end of the story until they received a call from the NFL telling them they should watch a special video message Friday as the Bucs prepared for the first the first playoff game of the season. In the message, Brady announced he had sent the entire family tickets to the Super Bowl taking place Feb. 13 in Los Angeles. >>10-Year-Old Boy Fighting Brain Cancer Captures Tom Brady's Heart, via Tampa, Florida, Patch

Pup Swept Away In Landslide Rescued After Week

Even though a week passed since a landslide swept a home off its foundation in Seattle, firefighters didn't give up their search for a missing dog.

A woman escaped, firefighters rescued one man trapped under debris and one dog was found dead following the Jan. 7 landslide. However, the family's second dog was nowhere to be found.

When the homeowner called firefighters, saying they could hear a dog whining beneath the collapsed home, crews returned and cut through the walls and floors to reach the trapped pup, which is in stable condition. >> Seattle Firefighters Rescue Dog Nearly A Week After Landslide, via Seattle, Washington, Patch

Around 'The Patch'

• K-9 Chasing Accused Burglar Fall Through Ice Of Mysic River, Arlington, Massachusetts Patch

• Police Ramp Up Patrols Around Southland Synagogues, Los Angeles, California, Patch

• NYC COVID Cases, Hospitalizations 'Stabilizing' But Remain High, New York City, New York, Patch

• Record COVID-19 Levels Found In Southeast Sewage: See Latest Data, Atlanta, Georgia, Patch

• Breaking Barriers: Michigan's Only Historically Black College Set To Reopen This Spring, Grosse Point, Michigan, Patch

House Hunting

If you're looking for something traditional Southern-style home with lots of space, this estate in Huntersville, North Carolina, could be yours for $15 million.

The two-story home features large Corinthian columns flanking the spacious front porch and offers five bedrooms and 5 1/2 baths, plus a pool on more than 2 acres.

This Day In History

The German Empire, forged as a result of diplomacy rather than an outpouring of popular nationalist feeling, was founded this day in 1871 in the aftermath of three successful wars by the North German state of Prussia.

Also on this day, British-born American actor Cary Grant, whose original name was Archibald Alexander Leach, was born Jan. 18, 1904, in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England.

Find Your Patch

Patch is in more than 1,000 communities across America. Find your community and see what's happening outside your front door.

This article originally appeared on the Across America Patch