After severe weather in the South, the East Coast is bracing for flooding
Hundreds of thousands of people without power after Sunday night’s severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in Kentucky, Texas, Oklahoma and Hopkins County, Kentucky
Severe storms were expected to stretch from Alabama to upstate New York on Monday evening, according to the National Weather Service. There is a chance of flash flooding in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast due to the storms. The NWS said that hail, heavy winds and tornadoes were Possible from northeast Maryland to New York.
“Additionally, heavy rain may lead to scattered instances of flash flooding with this initial burst of thunderstorms,” the weather service added. “By the afternoon hours another round of showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop along a cold front and impact similar regions, with the severe threat shifting further east across the Ohio Valley overnight.”
Severe thunderstorm watches were in effect Sunday for parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia — with tornadoes and hail also possible.
On Sunday, the National Weather Service predicted that large parts of the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys were at an increased risk of severe weather.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency on X early Monday in his state. “Severe weather continues to move through the commonwealth with multiple reports of wind damage and tornadoes,” Beshear wrote.
On Monday, the website Poweroutage.us reported hundreds of thousands without power. More than 120,000 customers in Kentucky were without power as of 5:30 p.m. ET, according to the website. Data showed Arkansas and West Virginia each had more than 40,000 customers without electricity.
Powerful tornadoes and thunderstorms ripped through parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas late Saturday evening and Sunday morning, leaving at least 18 people dead and causing widespread damage.
In a news conference Monday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said four people were killed in four different counties after storms ripped through most of the state on Sunday. The fifth storm related death was confirmed by Beshear on Monday.
“It could have been much worse,” Beshear said of this weekend’s storms. “The people of Kentucky are very weather aware with everything we’ve been through.”
To the east of Charleston, parts of Hopkins County, Kentucky also saw damage Sunday night. Western Kentucky, including a number of communities in Hopkins County, endured a series of devastating tornadoes in 2021 that killed 81 people.
“There were a lot of people that were just getting their lives put back together and then this,” Hopkins County emergency management director Nick Bailey was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. “Almost the same spot, the same houses and everything.”
The White House said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was on the ground conducting damage assessments with state and local authorities. President Biden has directed federal agencies to provide support as needed.
Delay and cancellation of flights from Newark Liberty Airport in the U.S. as of 5:30 p.m. Mon., according to Flight Aware
According to the flight-tracking website Flight Aware, more than 400 flights in the U.S. were canceled as of 5:30 p.m. Monday — and another 5,200-plus flights had been delayed. Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey was most affected by delays and cancelations.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without power after tornadoes and severe thunderstorms hit parts of the US on Sunday. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said four people were killed in four different counties after storms ripped through the state on Sunday. At least 18 people have been killed in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, according to local media reports.