Severe East Coast storms leave 1 million without power, kill at least 2

Severe weather conditions plummeting the Eastern Coast of the nation this week have left around 1 million households without power, caused thousands of travel disruptions, and killed at least two individuals. 

A “complicated and active” storm system unleashed hurricane-force wind gusts of up to 80 mph in the Eastern U.S., placing around 120 million people under a severe storm risk on Monday. 

The gusty winds knocked out the power for more than 1 million customers, according to PowerOutage.us. More than 11 states were affected, including Alabalama, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina and Georgia. 

Multiple tornado watches were also issued on Monday, covering a large area from western Tennessee and Kentucky, into Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, affecting over 30 million people.

At least two people were killed due to the storm. In Anderson, South Carolina, a 15-year-old boy was killed on Monday after a tree fell across the vehicle he was riding in. Later the same day, a 28-year-old man died after being struck by lightning in Florence, Alabama. 

The strong storms also led to the cancellation of nearly 1,500 flights on Monday in several major hubs, such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, according to data from FlightAware. Additionally, more than 7,000 delays were reported. 

Several airports, including Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, New Jersey’s Newark Liberty, New York’s LaGuardia, and Philadelphia International Airport, implemented ground stops, which prevent flights from landing.  

The Federal Aviation Administration said it would reroute planes around storms in order to prevent as many travel disruptions as possible. 

Severe thunderstorms are expected to continue throughout Tuesday afternoon on Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, south of where the storms hit on Monday.