Severe Storm Pounds Western States, Moves East

A severe storm system that started in the west is making its way east, hitting nearly two dozen states. Wind, snow, heavy rains and even tornadoes are causing havoc for millions of people.
    
On a stretch of highway in Douglas County, Colorado, morning commuters were slipping and sliding as they tried to navigate icy road conditions.
 
Meanwhile, an hour west of there, up to 12 inches of snow fell in the mountains of Colorado just in time for the opening of Copper Mountain ski resort.

"We got seven inches of snow overnight, but it is clearly still snowing so we are looking probably close to a foot at this point," Copper Mountain spokeswoman Steph Sweeney said.

"But again it is still coming down, which we are very excited about," she added. "We couldn't ask for a better opening day."
 
Similar sentiments echoed in parts of northern California, as skiers and snowboarders also welcomed winter's early arrival.
 
But the storm that roared into parts of Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas on Wednesday also brought strong winds and large hail.

"It's been rough, slow going… 55 miles per hour from Kansas City, that's about all I could get. You just wanna go, go, go but you can't!" truck driver Dylanjer Downey said.
 
Ten tornadoes were reported in Iowa, knocking down trees, ripping through industrial buildings and flipping several big rigs on their side.
 
The storm will bring howling winds and rain across much of the north central U.S. through Thursday. By Friday, the weather system heads east into stable air.
 
It's all happening at a time when some European researchers say get ready for a decade of global cooling, not global warming.

A team of scientists believe that in 15 years the Earth is likely to experience a "mini ice age."

They predict that from 2030 to 2040 the sun's solar activity will fall by 60 percent, leading to a period of colder weather, often with freezing conditions.