Severe Weather Pounds Across the US; Thousands Without Power
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Jason A. Camhi/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Thousands remain without power Friday morning after powerful thunderstorms thrashed through long stretches of the U.S. Hail, heavy rain and winds up to 70 mph pounded cities from Dallas to Boston, claiming at least two lives and injuring four others.
Lots of wind damage has also been reported from the severe thunderstorms that raked the east coast Thursday night.
Corey Meade at the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center says there is more bad weather to come over Kentucky and West Virginia as well as portions of Oklahoma and Arkansas.
“There are still storms ongoing from central Kentucky, northeastward into West Virginia and there’s another area of thunderstorms ongoing over portions Oklahoma and western Arkansas,” he said, adding, “There might be isolated severe weather, gusty winds. Otherwise, it looks like the primary hazard with the storms ongoing will just be pockets of heavy rainfall.”
A tornado that reportedly touched down in Elmira, N.Y., Thursday afternoon took off roofs, downed trees and cut power lines.
“We have over 16,000 customers in the area that do not have power,” Karen Miner, spokesperson for Chemung County, said earlier Thursday.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency Thursday for Chemung County to allow the state to help those communities that were hit hardest by the severe weather.
As of 8 p.m. EST, utility companies reported that more than 20,000 customers were without power in the surrounding Elmira area. More than 90,000 customers in New York state, alone, were without power.
Tornado watches were issued Thursday evening in five states in the Northeast, including New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, according to the National Weather Service. Flash flood warnings were also issued in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, the weather service says.
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