Winter winds in the US have delivered deadly surf conditions to western states and reports of tornadoes to Texas, as parts of the US faced severe weather over the holidays.
With waves as high as 30ft (9.1m) in some areas of California, the US National Weather Service issued a high surf advisory for the US West Coast through Sunday and cautioned inexperienced surfers and swimmers to stay out of the water.
The weather is blamed for multiple injuries and at least one death after a man was found under debris on the coast. The public was told to be vigilant and to “never turn your back on the ocean”.
Meanwhile, storms across parts of Texas prompted tornado sightings and flight delays on Thursday.
On the West Coast, the NWS warned of possibly “life threatening conditions” for swimmers as storms continued to rock the California coast.
“Stay off jetties, piers, and other waterside infrastructure,” the National Weather Service warned in a release on Thursday.
California has faced days of dangerous surf conditions.
A wharf in Santa Cruz, California, collapsed after it was struck by strong waves earlier this week.
In a separate incident, the Marina Police Department responded to reports that an adult man had been swept out to sea on Monday. Rescue officials were forced to call off an air and sea search due to dangerous conditions.
Farther up the Pacific Coast, the US states of Washington and Oregon are also under heavy surf advisories until Friday afternoon.
Down in Texas, the winter winds brought reports of tornadoes.
Jimmy George, the emergency management coordinator for El Campo, Texas, told the BBC that a tornado touched down near his small town of 12,000 people that sits about an hour outside of Houston.
Mr George saw the tornado at a distance while on a highway, he said, and locals had reported additional sightings of the same weather event.
There were no injuries reported but three barns in the area were damaged, said Russell McDougall, an emergency official in Wharton County, Texas.
Local media reported a second tornado in the area, but the BBC was not able to independently verify this.
The National Weather Service had warned residents in the Houston area and parts of southeast Texas of the potential for thunderstorms and tornadoes. An NWS spokesperson could not immediately verify the El Campo tornado, as such reports can take several days to officially confirm.
More than 100 flights were delayed at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport due to weather, the AP reported.
The storm system was expected to pass by Thursday night.
The US East Coast, meanwhile, continued to enjoy a snow-dusted Christmas.
New York City experienced its first so-called “white Christmas” – when more than an inch of powder is recorded on the ground – since 2009.
While snow caused minor travel woes for some on the roadways, it was not the main trouble for Morris County, New Jersey – a suburban area outside near Manhattan.
Drivers there faced a large sinkhole that opened up next to the I-80 highway in Morris County, which prompted traffic delays.
