Two people have been killed and 900,000 left without power after storms hit a swathe of the Eastern Seaboard.
In Westminster, just outside Baltimore, 33 adults and 14 children were trapped by power cables which were downed in fierce winds. Rescue personnel were shutting the live cables off on Monday night and freeing the entangled 34 cars caught up in the web of wires.
Footage shared on social media showed scenes of devastation from Atlanta, Georgia up to New York.
Over 900,000 people were without power on Monday evening, with Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania the hardest-hit states.
Flights across the entire eastern United States were delayed or cancelled, with some of the busiest airports in the country affected – among them Atlanta, Philadelphia, Charlotte, JFK and Newark.
By the end of Monday, almost 8,500 flights within, into or out of the United States had been delayed, and 1,735 canceled.
A 15-year-old boy was killed in Anderson, South Carolina, when a tree fell onto the garage at his grandparents’ house.
A 15-year-old boy was killed on Monday when a tree crashed down on top of him in Anderson, South Carolina
Uprooted trees are pictured in South Carolina on Monday
Evan Kinley, a student at TL Hanna High School, was at the entrance to the garage at 5pm on Monday when a large tree uprooted, fell and landed on him.
A second person was killed on Monday when he was struck by lightning, in Alabama.
The victim, a 28-year-old man, was killed in the parking lot of Florence Industrial Park, where he worked.
Near Baltimore, rescue workers on Monday night were trying to free those caught up in the freak accident.
More than 30 poles were knocked over, trapping the cars. There are no fatalities reported.
More than 30 power cables were downed in Westminster, near Baltimore, on Monday night – trapping cars
Those trapped in their vehicles included John Hockman and his wife, who told CBS Baltimore they narrowly missed getting struck by a fallen power pole.
‘We saw it coming down, so I asked my wife to back up, and as it was coming down, two little pylons almost came down on us,’ he said.
Powerlines were wrapped around their car and waiting for crews to safely evacuate them.
‘We’re trapped between these lines right here,’ Hockman said.
‘That one goes right here all the way up this window.’
James DeWees, Carroll County sheriff, said emergency crews were working to free those trapped.
‘They were stuck there because the power lines came down and they couldn’t get out of their vehicles,’ he said.
‘We have remained in constant communication with those in the vehicles and they are safe.’
Power lines came crashing down in Westminster, outside Baltimore, Maryland
Drivers were trapped in their cars in Westminster, near Baltimore, as power cables were downed in strong winds
Sheriffs said that 34 vehicles were trapped by the downed cables, and electricians were working to turn the power off so people could be freed
A Baltimore electric spokesman said the incident was a freak accident
Those stuck inside their cars were being provided with water, and after they were removed they were bussed to a local school.
Their vehicles will be freed from the wires in daylight.
‘It will remain closed for tomorrow’s morning traffic and then state highway will update us, as well as BGE, as they start working at that location,’ said DeWees.
‘That is the absolute route to get people in and out of this county to get people up north to Pennsylvania and into Westminster.’
Tornado warnings were in place for some areas, but DeWees said he was unable to confirm if a tornado had downed the poles.
‘One thing people will ask, was that a tornado that came through?’ We aren’t experts. We can’t tell you that.
‘But it sure looks like one went through. That’s for someone else to determine.’
He said they had increased police patrols in areas where there was no power.
‘I will warn you, don’t come here and do anything stupid,’ DeWees said.
‘We will have an awful lot of police officers out and this is no place to play. This is no place to come out and act foolish.’
A spokesman for Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) said the company will be assessing the damage to make repairs.
‘This is catastrophic damage,’ said Nick Alexopulos.
‘This is damage that if you worked in electric distribution at BGE for your entire career, you may see it once.’
Footage of what appeared to be a tornado was shared on social media from a site in West Leyden, 50 miles north east of Syracuse, New York
North Carolina and Pennsylvania were the worst affected by power outages on Monday
Earlier on Monday, at 3.30pm EST, the National Weather Service announced five Tornado Watches and two Severe Thunderstorm Watches.
The storm system moved east after walloping the Ohio River Valley on Sunday, bringing high winds and large hail, in addition to downpours.
An area stretching from northern Alabama to southern New York, which includes Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Binghamton, New York City, was placed under an enhanced risk for severe storming.
‘In the areas of thunderstorms, severe weather and flash flooding will be a threat,’ said the National Weather Service.
Atlanta declared a ground stop at 5:04pm, and said it expects the order to remain in place until 7pm.
Baltimore, Charlotte, DC, Newark, JFK, LaGuardia, and Philadelphia all followed suit.
By 6:50pm, the storm was above Philadelphia.
Most of the restrictions were lifted around 7:30 or 8pm.
Passengers were being advised to check with their airlines.
Storm prediction map for the US on Monday, August 8. Severe weather is expected along the eastern seaboard
Over the weekend, there were about 280 severe storm reports from across the country, including eight tornadoes.
Across the central plains and Mississippi River Valley, there were another nearly 100 reports of strong winds, as well as reports of large hail.
As the east of the country braces for summer storms, southern states from Florida to California continue to contend with dangerous heat this week.
‘Numerous record high temperatures and record high morning minimum temperatures are likely over the next few days with no end in sight going into the later part of this week,’ said the National Weather Service.
Heat warnings and advisories have been in effect across the southern parts of the US for several weeks, and will likely remain in effect ‘for the foreseeable future as there is no relief in sight to the heat for the remainder of the week across these areas,’ the weather service said.
Record-breaking heatwaves have descended on states ranging from Louisiana and Mississippi to Nevada, Texas and California this summer.
Austin, Texas, hit 105 degrees on Sunday, marking the 30th consecutive day with a high temperature of over 100 degrees.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, hit a high of 102 on Saturday – the hottest August day ever in the city.
In New Orleans, Louisiana, city officials have warned that extremely high humidity levels will mean temperatures will ‘feel like’ 115 degrees or higher.
Cooling centers were open for residents without adequate means to keep out of the heat.
‘The forecasted excessive heat warning for Monday, August 7 will mark the 17th excessive heat warning issued for 2023 so far, beating the previous record of five warnings in 2021,’ city officials said.
Phoenix, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, have seen some of their hottest ever days on record in the last week, with the heat wave expected to continue through the next few days
Residents of Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, New Mexico and California have been finding ways to cool down amid record high temperatures this summer
In the Dallas-Forth Worth area of Texas, the scalding heatwave is expected to last another week, at least.
Like Austin, Dallas has experienced temperatures of 100 degrees of hotter every day since July 24.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning across all of Northern Texas through 8pm on Monday. Heat index values are expected to peak around 114 degrees.
A warm front is then expected to roll in on Tuesday, increasing temperatures again into midweek.
The electrical grid operator for most of the state, ERCOT, issued a ‘weather watch’ for Sunday and Monday ‘due to forecasted higher temps, higher electrical demand and the potential for lower reserves.’
According to grid data, power demand has hit all-time highs multiple days during this heatwave – peaking last Tuesday at 83,593 megawatts.
