Tornado watches and warnings were posted along the East Coast on Monday as meteorologists warned millions of people to brace for severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and large hail.
The National Weather Service forecast the weather to be “very active” on the East Coast from late afternoon into the evening, with severe weather, heavy rain and flash flooding possible from the Southeast to the mid-Atlantic and into parts of the Northeast.
Jacqueline Martin/AP
Strong winds downed trees in Maryland, where more than 96,000 customers were without power across the state. CBS Baltimore reported. By Monday night, more than 1.1 million people were without power in multiple states in the storm's path, according to the Associated Press.
The greatest threat is expected to be across the southern and central Appalachians into the mid-Atlantic region, according to the National Weather Service. Storms toppled trees and caused other damage in Tennessee earlier, and there were reports of golf ball-sized hailstones in West Virginia.
About 30 miles north of Baltimore in Westminster, Maryland, 33 adults and 14 children were trapped in their cars for several hours after strong winds toppled power poles along Route 140, CBS Baltimore mentioned. Police said they were all evacuated safely by 11:30 p.m.
Parts of Maryland were also facing severe flooding. More than a dozen motorists were rescued after being stranded by floodwaters in Cambridge, Maryland, police said in a statement.
“Some perspective: This is the first moderate risk of severe weather in at least 10 years in most of our forecast areas.” NWS service out of Baltimore-Washington the district said on social media.
National Weather Service
Federal employees in Washington, D.C., have been told to go home early due to severe weather forecasts, and federal offices are scheduled to close at 3 p.m., according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
At least two deaths were attributed to bad weather conditions. In Florence, Alabama, a 28-year-old man died after being struck by lightning in the parking lot of an industrial park, police said. In Anderson, South Carolina, a minor was killed by a falling tree, Anderson Fire Chief Charles King told CBS News.
Heavy rain and flash flooding are a concern for eastern New York into New England Monday evening into Tuesday. Ping-pong ball-sized hailstones fell in some areas.
As the severe weather threat continues, there have been thousands of flight delays and cancellations, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
The FAA said it was Redirect flights Deflected the storms as much as possible in the afternoon, but then issued a ground stop to a number of major airports extending from Atlanta and Charlotte through Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and the New York City area. The ground station in Philadelphia went up around 10 p.m. ET.
More than 400 flights were canceled at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta alone on Monday, according to FlightAware.
Parts of the region have already faced heavy rains and flooding in recent weeks. several People who died in Pennsylvania During flash floods last month. Deadly floods also occurred New York.
On Monday, New York City Emergency Management activated the city's flash flood plan in anticipation of the weather system.
