2023-08-07 21:55:43
CNN
—
A storm outbreak is underway on Monday as thunderstorms brought damaging gusts of wind, hail, torrential rain and even some tornadoes.
Live-Updates: Devastating storms rage across eastern United States
Considering all storm risk severities, around 120 million people in the eastern U.S. might be affected by damaging weather Monday and Monday night as a strong storm system, particularly in August, sweeps the region.
In the strongest storms, wind gusts can reach speeds of 60 to 80 miles per hour. The upper end of this range corresponds to hurricane-force gusts and can cause significant damage.
Power outages and flight cancellations mounted as storms battered several states with strong winds.
More than 170,000 customers were without power across the east as of Monday followingnoon, according to PowerOutage.us, with the most outages in Tennessee, Georgia and West Virginia.
According to FlightAware, over 1,000 flights were canceled Monday, with an additional 4,500 delays as storms disrupted flight routes to key hubs like Atlanta.
Monday is a Level 4 out of 5, moderate risk of severe thunderstorms — the first Level 4 enacted in the US since June 29 and the first for Washington DC in over a decade. People who live or work in the area should have a plan to shelter in case of alerts.
The greatest risk of widespread, potentially destructive winds will be concentrated along a narrower corridor from western Virginia to far southern Pennsylvania as storms come to life Monday followingnoon. The corridor is home to more than 13 million people and includes major population centers such as Washington, DC and Baltimore.
Noxious winds will also have the most common impact anywhere from Alabama and Georgia north to New York and New Jersey. Major cities at risk include Atlanta and Philadelphia.
Strong winds can cause property damage, snap tree branches and collapse power lines, which might leave some residents without electricity or air conditioning following high temperatures hit the 80s and 90s in the east on Monday followingnoon.
Some tornadoes are also possible from parts of the Southeast to the Northeast. As of Monday followingnoon, multiple tornado warnings were issued, covering regarding 40 million people in a large area from western Tennessee and Kentucky east to parts of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. The greatest tornado threat on Monday will extend from eastern Kentucky to central Maryland.
Tornadoes can whip up quickly in the same storm lines, bringing damaging winds with little time to get to safety.
Heavy rain can accompany any storm, but the greatest risk of rain causing flash flooding is in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Flash floods can quickly turn safe roads into raging rivers.
This is what happens to your body when temperatures rise
As parts of the East brace for hail and heavy rain, cities from Arizona to Florida will continue to grapple with dangerous heat this week.
“Several record-breaking highs and record-breaking early morning lows are likely over the next few days, with no end in sight until the end of this week,” the National Weather Service said.
Excessive heat warnings and heat warnings in effect throughout the southern portion of the country, from Southeast California to Florida, are likely to remain in effect “for the foreseeable future” with no heat relief in sight in those areas for the remainder of the week,” said the weather service.
About 65 records were set or broken over the weekend in cities in Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. Dozens more might be hired by Tuesday.
Austin, Texas hit 105 degrees on Sunday, marking the 30th straight day with highs above 100 degrees.
Albuquerque peaked at 102 degrees on Saturday, beating the previous record of 98 degrees set in 1995. This is also the city’s hottest August day on record.
In New Orleans — where city officials warned that high humidity will lead to high heat index temperatures of 115 degrees or more — refrigeration centers are open for residents who need a break from the heat, officials said.
“The excessive heat warning forecast for Monday, August 7 will be the 17th excessive heat warning for 2023, beating the previous record of five warnings in 2021,” New Orleans officials said in a news release.
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