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ClimateUnited States of America

Eastern US hit by deadly storms and major power outages

August 8, 2023

At least two people have died in storms that battered the eastern US, with flights canceled and many left without power. Millions were under severe weather alerts, including tornado watches

https://p.dw.com/p/4Uszb
An umbrella is blown inside out as a person crosses the street during a storm in Washington, DC.
Washington, DC, was among the cities hit by the stormsImage: Stefani Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

Rain, hail and strong winds swept almost the entire eastern seaboard of the United States on Monday, with at least two people killed during the severe weather.

The storms also caused power outages for hundreds of thousands of people and led to the cancelation of thousands of flights across the region.

Weather alerts were issued throughout the affected zone, which extended from the state of Alabama in the south to that of New York in the north.

A 28-year-old man in Alabama died after being struck by lightning in a car park and a 15-year-old boy in South Carolina was killed by a falling tree as he visited his grandparents, local media reported.

Person on bike near fallen tree
Trees were brought down in many eastern regions, including as here in Washington, DCImage: Phillip Baumgart/REUTERS

Hail, tornado alerts, power outages

In the mid-Atlantic state of Virginia, hailstones as large as 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) in diameter were recorded, according to the US government's National Weather Service (NWS).

By late Monday, more than 1.1 million customers were affected by power outages along the East Coast, across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us.

More than 1,700 flights were canceled and more than 8,000 delayed, website FlightAware said.

The NWS said more than 29.5 million people were under a tornado watch on Monday afternoon, including in the capital, Washington, DC, and the surrounding region.

As the east was struck by the storms, residents of southern US states, including Texas, Louisiana and Florida, were receiving excessive heat warnings. There, temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) have been forecast on Tuesday.

The intensity and frequency of extreme weather events around the world is increasing under the influence of climate change largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels, scientists say.

tj/wmr (AP, AFP)