Storms slam Northeast with hurricane-force wind gusts on final day of deadly severe weather outbreak
Sunday marks the third and final day of a deadly multidayĀ severe weatherĀ outbreak that spawned violentĀ tornadoes, aĀ dust stormĀ and evenĀ blizzard conditionsĀ that leftĀ more than 30 people dead across the U.S.
At least 23 people have been killed as a result of the severe weather and tornadoes, withĀ MissouriĀ appearing to have been the hardest hit as officials there confirmed at least 12 deaths. Deaths have also been reported inĀ Mississippi,Ā ArkansasĀ andĀ Alabama.
And in the central and southern Plains, a dust storm droppedĀ visibilityĀ to nearly zero in portions ofĀ Texas,Ā OklahomaĀ andĀ KansasĀ on Friday. Officials said eight people were killed in a multi-vehicle pileup on Interstate 70 near the Kansas-ColoradoĀ state line.
Officials in Texas said four people were killed in multiple crashes ā two in Palmer County and two in Gray County due to the highĀ windsĀ and low visibility from blowing dirt and dust.
Sundayās severe weather threat stretches from theĀ SoutheastĀ to theĀ mid-AtlanticĀ andĀ Northeast.
Thunderstorms and wind caused air travel delays at airports up and down the East Coast on Sunday, with weather-related ground delays in Orlando, Tampa, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.
Hurricane-force winds were recorded in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pennsylvania recorded an 89-mph wind gust, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. A 76-mph wind gust was recorded earlier on Sunday at Zanesville Municipal Airport in central Ohio.
Power outages skyrocketed in Pennsylvania, with more than 135,000 customers without power by late Sunday afternoon. Thousands of outages were also reported across Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.Ā
In all, more than 64 million people fromĀ FloridaĀ toĀ New YorkĀ state are at risk of severe weather on Sunday, including communities along the heavilyĀ traveledĀ Interstate 95 corridor.
However, NOAAās Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed more than 4.5 million people in parts of western and centralĀ PennsylvaniaĀ and southwestern New York in a level 3 out of 5 risk on itsĀ severe thunderstorm risk scale. This includesĀ PittsburghĀ andĀ Erie, Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, in the Southeast, aĀ Tornado WatchĀ has been issued for portions of Florida,Ā Georgia,Ā South CarolinaĀ andĀ North CarolinaĀ until Sunday afternoon.
Other Tornado Watches were issued farther north in portions ofĀ Pennsylvania,Ā Ohio,Ā West Virginia,Ā Virginia, andĀ Maryland, which will also remain in effect through Sunday evening.Ā
Due to the damaging wind threat, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in place for western New York, includingĀ BuffaloĀ andĀ Rochester, through Sunday afternoon.
The worst of the weather is expected in a swath that stretches from northern Florida northward to portions of the interior Northeast.
Cities inside this zone includeĀ JacksonvilleĀ in Florida,Ā SavannahĀ in Georgia,Ā CharlestonĀ in South Carolina,Ā CharlotteĀ andĀ RaleighĀ in North Carolina,Ā ClevelandĀ inĀ Ohio, Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania andĀ BuffaloĀ in New York.
Damaging wind gusts will be the biggest threat with any severe storms that develop, but tornadoes are also possible.
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