Severe Weather Outbreak Causes Widespread Disruptions in Eastern US

Power Outages and Travel Disruptions

A severe weather outbreak tore through the Eastern US, resulting in damaging winds that caused power outages for hundreds of thousands of people and disrupted travel across the region.

Live Updates

For the latest updates on the damaging storms in the Eastern US, you can follow the CNN live news coverage.

Damaging Hurricane-Force Winds

Forecasts warned of hurricane-force wind gusts reaching up to 80 mph in the strongest storms. Major metro areas, including Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, experienced strong wind gusts of up to 71 mph.

Power Outages

According to PowerOutage.us, more than 1 million customers lost power from Alabama to Pennsylvania, with North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland being the most affected states.

Flight Cancellations and Delays

More than 1,500 flights were canceled and an additional 7,000 flights experienced delays as the storms disrupted flight paths to major hubs like Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington D.C., and Baltimore, according to data from FlightAware.

Ground Stops at Airports

Ground stops were in effect at several airports, including Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, Newark Liberty in New Jersey, LaGuardia in New York, and Philadelphia International Airport.

Swath of Wind Reports

The storms left a path of over 300 wind reports from Mississippi to the Carolinas and northward into New York.

Threat to Eastern US

Around 120 million people in the Eastern US were threatened by the severe storm system, which brought a Level 4 of 5 moderate risk of severe thunderstorms. This is the first Level 4 issued in the US since June and the first for Washington D.C. in over a decade.

Greatest Risk: Damaging Wind Gusts

The greatest risk from the storms was widespread damaging and locally destructive wind gusts.

Tornado Watches and Warnings

Multiple tornado watches were issued, covering around 40 million people across a large area from western Tennessee and Kentucky eastward into portions of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Several tornado warnings were also issued.

Risk of Flash Flooding

While heavy downpours were expected with any storm, the greatest risk for flash flooding was in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, where flash flooding can quickly turn safe roadways into dangerous rivers.

New Threat on Tuesday

Once the severe weather subsides on Monday night, a new threat is expected to develop on Tuesday.

Slight Risk on Tuesday

A Level 2 of 5 slight risk of severe thunderstorms is forecasted for portions of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida on Tuesday afternoon. This means more than 5 million additional people are at risk for damaging winds and heavy rainfall.

Read More of this Story at www.cnn.com – 2023-08-07 23:57:00

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