31.   Unseasonably warm weather has melted the snow in Iowa, and Sen. Phil Gramm is suddenly getting some traction.

32.   Warmer temperatures have begun melting the snow.

33.   And in many areas, warm temperatures have melted the snow.

34.   And they melt snow for cooking and drinking water.

35.   Big chunks of a mountain sometimes give way in volcanic eruptions, letting loose enormous mudflows sometimes swelled by lake water or melted snow.

36.   Bright, sunny weather had melted some snow but a sudden cold spell Wednesday morning made the course icy and extremely fast.

37.   But the sunshine melted snow on the mountains, increasing the risk of more avalanches and preventing the clearing of the road into the valley.

38.   But the weather service said with the ground already saturated, more heavy rain and melting snow over the next two days could worsen the flooding.

39.   California draws about a fourth of its power from in-state hydroelectric plants, which rely on melting snow to fill reservoirs for summer when precipitation is scarce.

40.   Expected warmer temperatures could melt the snow and cause major flooding.