RAIN CAUSES ICONIC HIGHWAY 1 LANE COLLAPSE

Motorists crept along one lane of a scenic stretch of California's iconic Highway 1 on Monday after a giant chunk of it collapsed into the ocean following heavy weekend rains. It stranded as many as 1,600 people in the coastal community of Big Sur. The collapse occurred Saturday about 17 miles south of Monterey, and traffic backed up for miles in both directions. Convoys of vehicles resumed Monday morning for one lane of the highway, but most of the people trapped in Big Sur were allowed to leave when a single lane was reopened Sunday after being closed overnight. The famous route has seen frequent closures because of collapses, mudflows and rock slides during severe weather. Across the eastern half of the U.S., the threat of a severe weather outbreak grows, as tens of millions of people face dangerous hail and destructive tornadoes starting Tuesday morning. According to the Storm Prediction Center, parts of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana are at most risk. Ohio hasn't had a tornado threat this substantial in more than 10 years. Alabama and western Georgia, north to parts of Indiana and West Virginia, could also see tornadoes. More than 75 million people are at risk for severe thunderstorms from the Gulf Coast to Great Lakes. Many could see damaging winds of 60 to 80 miles per hour and hail ranging from the size of quarters to baseballs. Over 17 million people from Illinois to Maryland also face a flood threat from the storms. The tornado threat will lessen Wednesday as storms shift east, but there is still a risk for severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and hail in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Florida. The wintry mix is expected to bring snow to Michigan and Wisconsin Wednesday and Thursday.