Nearly 600,000 homes and businesses were left in the dark early Wednesday after powerful winds added to days of rain in the flood-ravaged Washington state, parts of Oregon and into Idaho. Here's the latest.

We are tracking a cross-country front that will bring rain, snow and the potential for damaging winds Thursday into Friday. Wind gusts could exceed 60 mph at times, so power outages are likely and travel will be impacted. Expect holiday travel delays along the I-95 corridor from Boston to New York City down to Philadelphia and Washington on Friday. Most of the precipitation will fall as rain with the snow mainly confined to the higher elevations. Watch this video to see when the worst of the wind will impact you.

A pattern change will bring a big warmup across much of the country ahead of the Christmas holiday. The Northern Tier will see a brief cool down Thursday into the weekend before temperatures warm up again. The Southwest will see days of potential record-breaking temperatures that could last into Christmas week. See how warm it will get in this video.

This video might make you do a double take. It shows the moment a giant replica of the Statue of Liberty fell to the ground. The statue has become a landmark in Guaiba, Brazil, after being installed five years ago. See the dramatic collapse, as severe storms hit southern Brazil.

We are tracking a cross-country front that will slam the Plains and Midwest with rain, snow and the potential for damaging winds Wednesday and Thursday. Wind gusts could exceed 60 mph at times, so power outages are likely. The snow will be confined to the northern tier, so most areas will see rain over snow this time. The cold snap will be brief as warmer weather moves in this weekend and continues into next week. Watch this video to see when the worst of the wind will impact you.