By Brad Brooks (Reuters) – Brutal winter weather enveloped much of the U.S. on Tuesday and was forecast to continue through the week in areas, with forecasters predicting heavy rains in the east and several feet of snow for parts of the Pacific northwest. High winds and a few tornadoes ripped through parts of the South earlier Tuesday, with at least three deaths attributed to weather in Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia, according to authorities and local media reports. Tornadoes caused heavy damage in parts of the Florida panhandle. Heavy rains and high winds hit a big chunk of the East Coa…