As a coast-to-coast winter storm slices across the U.S. Sunday and Monday, severe thunderstorms are expected to fire up across portions of the South on the warm side of the storm system.

Merchan, in his ruling Friday, called an unconditional discharge the "most viable solution to ensure finality and allow Defendant to pursue his appellate options." A winter storm watch has been upgraded to a warning as the weather looms.

Areas of the South recently ravaged by a deadly tornado outbreak are again facing the threat of severe weather this weekend as cleanup efforts continue.

California saw the first tornado of 2025 reported in the United States, after a whirlwind made landfall Friday evening in an unpopulated area of Tehama County, the National Weather Service said in a Saturday morning news release.

A warning covering an area with about 2,200 residents told people to take shelter because flying debris was expected.

PAYNES CREEK — A tornado touched down in Northern California's Tehama County on Friday, weather officials confirmed. According to the National Weather Service, a tornado touched down around 5:22 p.m. near the Paynes Creek area and around 11 miles southwest of Shingletown.