to update: Thousands were still without power Tuesday after severe storms hit the East Coast.
Severe thunderstorms that struck the eastern United States turned deadly Monday, killing at least two people and cutting power to more than 1.1 million customers, as damaging winds and torrential rain battered the region.
Destructive weather conditions were widespread, with tornado watches and warnings issued in 10 states from Tennessee to New York. Fallen trees and power lines were seen falling on roads and some homes in multiple states.
“This appears to be one of the most impactful severe weather events in the mid-Atlantic region that we have seen in some time,” Chris Strong, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said during a Facebook Live news conference.
The Washington, D.C., area is being hit by thunderstorms, turbulent rain and gusty winds impacting the area as part of a severe weather outbreak with a rare Level 4 out of 5 rating, according to the National Weather Service and Weather Service. Washington Post DC Weather Gang.
The area was one of many along the East Coast under a hurricane watch Monday afternoon until 9 p.m. It's part of a nasty weather system that had much of the East Coast in its sights Monday in a summer of sweltering heat and severe storms.
More than 29.5 million people were under a hurricane watch Monday afternoon, the weather service said.
By Monday night, more than 2,600 U.S. flights had been canceled and nearly 7,900 delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. More than 1 million Americans are experiencing power outages, according to PowerOutage.us.
“A severe weather outbreak is expected across parts of the eastern United States today with widespread and locally damaging winds and tornadoes as the greatest threats, especially across the southern and central Appalachian region and the mid-Atlantic states,” the weather service said.
At least two people were killed amid the harsh weather conditions
Severe thunderstorms killed at least two people on Monday.
A 15-year-old boy died after a tree fell on him as he got out of a car after arriving at his grandfather's house in Anderson, South Carolina, according to the Anderson County Coroner's Office.
In Florence, Alabama, police said a 28-year-old man died after being struck by lightning, WAAY-TV reported.
Blackouts; Flights delayed due to east coast storm
More than a million Americans lost power in nine states affected by the storms, according to the PowerOutage.US website.
In North Carolina, 211,746 customers were without power by Monday evening. The same is true for 131,644 customers in Pennsylvania; 77,311 customers in Georgia; And 85,652 customers in Maryland were without power late Monday.
More than 2,600 planes have been canceled and thousands more postponed, according to FlightAware.
“The FAA is redirecting aircraft around the storms, heading toward the East Coast as much as possible,” the FAA said. Monday afternoon.
'Widespread damaging winds'
More than 80 million people from Atlanta to Philadelphia are at risk of dangerous winds, flooding and isolated tornadoes, meteorologists said.
“Strong southwest winds will transport abundant moisture up the East Coast, providing the potential for washout in some interior parts of the Northeast where thunderstorms produce impressive downpours,” AccuWeather Meteorologist La Troy Thornton said.
AccuWeather said thunderstorms were already causing locally heavy rain and travel disruption in parts of Central Appalachia and the Northeast on Monday morning.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate risk for severe storms across parts of the mid-Atlantic, including Baltimore and Washington, warning of “widespread damaging winds.” AccuWeather said it has been at least five years since the prediction center issued that threat level for the region.
What is the timeline for storms?
Rain and thunderstorms that were spreading across the Midwest, South and East early Monday were expected to intensify by early afternoon and continue into the evening, Weather.com said. The outlet warned of damaging straight winds that could topple trees and lead to power outages, hail, flooding and tornadoes.
Other cities that could be hit by the intense system, according to AccuWeather: Pittsburgh; cleveland; cincinnati; Baltimore; Charleston, West Virginia; Knoxville, Tennessee; Huntsville, Alabama; And Raleigh, North Carolina.
Meteorologists said turbulent weather could hit much of the east during the rest of the week as well.
“The pattern this week will see frequent showers and thunderstorms, usually every two days or so, across much of the East,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. “Although rainfall may not be as much or as frequent as in July, conditions may once again pose daily challenges to outdoor plans and travel.”
Although a storm in the D.C. area may not become a derico — the equivalent of an inland tornado — it could have some “derico-like effects,” the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang reported.
How hot is it?:The report says 6.5 billion people endured heat caused by climate change in July
Will extreme heat in the mid-Atlantic return?
The good news — for now — is that the blustery, wet weather should stave off the extreme heat that swept through the mid-Atlantic and part of the Northeast in July, forecasters said.
AccuWeather said August temperatures have been 3 to 6 degrees below the historical average from Washington, D.C., to Boston so far, but meteorologists have warned the heat could return.
“Heat could build through the middle to late part of August in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as many children return to school. This could be accompanied by high humidity and the risk of thunderstorm activity,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
But the heat is still prevailing in the south
Daytime temperatures are expected to get dangerously high across the South on Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service said record highs will continue from the Desert Southwest into Texas and extend east along the Gulf Coast into parts of the Southeast and Florida.
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Highs could reach the upper 90s to lower 100s with a heat index — what temperature feels like when relative humidity is combined with air temperature — of 105 to 115 degrees in those areas, according to the weather service. High temperatures, dry ground conditions, low humidity and gusty winds will increase the risk of wildfires in the Four Corners states to Texas, the weather service said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
