New Jersey residents were warned to prepare for possible tornadoes late Monday, as a system that spawned multiple tornadoes on Sunday made landfall in the tristate.
The eastbound storm, now hitting cities like New York and Philadelphia, has already claimed one life in rural Indiana – where a hurricane battered a home and killed an unnamed resident, officials said, while a fallen tree in Atlanta killed another.
Meanwhile, thousands more Americans in states in the Southeast and Midwest are without power after four tornadoes swept through the latter, sending thunderstorms northeast.
Weather has already wreaked havoc in Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky, resulting in four separate hurricanes in Indiana.
At 4 p.m. Monday, the storm devastated the entire Tri-State — as well as Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC — bringing damaging winds in excess of 70 miles per hour, lightning and several inches of precipitation.
However, officials in those areas claimed Monday that parts of the Garden State — where the likelihood of a tornado is typically low — are most at risk of the aforementioned metropolitan areas should a tornado occur.
Scroll down for the video:
Millions of Americans brace for a possible superstorm that is already leaving 500,000 people without power in the Southeast and unleashing monstrous tornadoes in the Midwest. Pictured is the storm’s predicted path at 4 p.m. as it is expected to hit communities in the North East
The system carries a low probability of tornadoes because at least three tornadoes were sighted in parts of Indiana Sunday night, killing one. Debris from one of these hurricanes is seen being thrown into the air and hitting the community of Greenwood in the southern part of the state
This, along with potential hail and flash floods, resulted in a total of 2,067 flights to, from, or within the United States being delayed and another 758 being cancelled. According to FlightAware, most of them were from Newark International in New Jersey, seen here Monday morning
That and possible hail and flash floods meant that a total of 2,067 flights from or within the US were delayed and another 758 were canceled Monday morning – many anticipating the persistent bad weather on the east coast
According to flight tracker FlightAware, nearly 150 of those were from Newark International in New Jersey and another 124 from LaGuardia in New York, where the strongest weather was expected.
Counties in North Jersey near busy airports – such as Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset – were under tornado warning Monday afternoon as the weather started to pick up and rain and strong winds spread across the state.
As of 4pm, those warnings were all overridden – but it’s not immediately clear if those areas have reported cyclones or wind damage.
Much of the rest of the state, as well as nearby cities like New York and Philadelphia, have had an increased thunderstorm warning as of 4:30 p.m. as the weather is expected to continue into the night.
Meanwhile, officials in southern Indiana, which bore the brunt of Sunday’s storm, are searching for more casualties in a debris pile caused by a twister in Martin County, about 85 miles southwest of Indianapolis and 80 miles northwest of Louisville.
Ninety miles southwest, another tornado swept through the small town of Greenwood, throwing debris into the air and causing general unrest.
Officials in the community of about 65,000 would not comment on whether anyone was injured or killed in the storm, but said they were continuing to assess the extent of damage noted after the storms.
The city’s fire department warned in a statement to Facebook, “Please stay clear of areas affected by tonight’s weather due to tornado damage in many areas around Johnson County.”
About seven miles southwest in the city of Bargersville, at least 75 homes were damaged after a third tornado struck an area three to four miles long, bringing down power lines but leaving injured people, officials later confirmed at a news conference.
Officials from the city, another rural community of about 10,000 people, said they were also working to conduct a second search of the affected areas.
Another hurricane blocked Stanford in Monroe County, downing trees that had yet to be removed Monday.
Since then, the Red Cross has worked with local people to set up emergency shelters to assess the needs of the three affected communities, as well as surrounding settlements that were also affected by the storm disaster.
The National Weather Service maintained tornado watches for the state and nearby Kentucky Sunday evening as the storm moved from the Great Lakes region and Midwest toward the mid-Atlantic and northeast.
Meanwhile, in southern Indiana, where Sunday’s storm was felt most severely, officials are searching for more victims in a debris pile caused by three hurricanes, one in Martin County, about 85 miles southwest of Indianapolis, and two in nearby Johnston county
One of them sped through the small town of Greenwood, throwing debris into the air and causing general unrest
Officials in the community of about 65,000 would not comment on whether anyone was injured or killed in the storm, but said they were continuing to assess the extent of damage noted after the storms
Other problems included damaged roofs and downed power lines, which could result in power outages lasting several days.
About seven miles southwest in the city of Bargersville, at least 75 homes were damaged after a third tornado struck an area three to four miles long, bringing down power lines but leaving injured people, officials later confirmed at a news conference
Another hurricane blocked Stanford in Monroe County, downing trees that had yet to be removed Monday
In all, about 10,000 people were without power in Hoosier state — a number that has fallen to about 2,000 since Monday morning as the storm moved east
About 25 percent of flights out of Indianapolis International Airport were delayed Sunday — part of more than 2,000 weekend cancellations that halted Monday in cities now expected to be affected by the still-moving system
Other problems included damaged roofs and downed power lines, which could result in power outages lasting several days
Workers in Greenwood survey fallen trees after a tornado made landfall in several areas Sunday afternoon
The National Weather Service maintained tornado watches for the state and nearby Kentucky Sunday evening as the storm moved from the Great Lakes region and Midwest toward the mid-Atlantic and northeast
As the storm moves east, more than 90 million people are affected by severe weather warnings as of Monday, particularly in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, southern and western New Jersey, and Raleigh, North Carolina — which has a Level 3 risk warning from 5 place.
Meteorologists warn that winds of 60mph and lightning are entirely possible, as are golfball-sized hail and flash floods.
Meanwhile, around 2,600 Indians remain without power Monday morning as the storm moves further east — but the situation is far worse further south, where storms also hit Sunday.
According to poweroutage.us, which compiles data from utility companies, about 300,000 people are still without power across Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee combined.
Another 130,000 in nearby Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia are also powerless, as are 70,000 in Michigan near the Great Lakes.
Chad Swain of the National Weather Service said the violent thunderstorms were likely triggered by the collision of hot and humid air and a moving cold front.
He said the roughly one million people who live along the Interstate-95 corridor in the Northeast can expect warm and muggy weather, accompanied by the storms, expected this afternoon, with temperatures expected to be in the 80s- will stay for years.
With many delays adding to more than 2,000 delays over the weekend, travelers have been advised to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport, especially during the day.
The three airports hardest hit Monday morning were the aforementioned Newark Liberty and New York’s LaGuardia, and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson.
As the storm moves east, more than 90 million people are affected by severe weather warnings as of Monday, particularly in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, southern and western New Jersey, and Raleigh, North Carolina — which has a Level 3 risk warning from 5 place
Devastating winds in excess of 60 mph and lightning will be the main threats, with a low probability of tornadoes — particularly in New Jersey — beginning at 4 p.m. when the system is expected to cause severe weather
Aside from the hurricanes, millions of people living along the I-95 corridor in the Northeast can also expect several inches of rain, with Philly and New York forecast for more than five apiece through Tuesday
Aside from the possible severe weather, millions living along the I-95 corridor in the Northeast can also expect several inches of rain, with Philly and New York forecast to experience more than two inches of rain through Tuesday.
Very large hailstones, potentially more than 5 cm in diameter, will also be a concern in the Southwest, particularly in central Carolina and parts of South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming.
The storms, which spawned nearly 400 storm reports in a dozen states, including four tornadoes, came as nearly 40 million people sweated under a heatwave that swept much of the southern US, from Arizona to Alabama.
With temperatures topping 110 degrees on Monday, the weather is expected to spread and continue into early next week, leading to a significant risk of heat-related illnesses, especially as the duration of the heatwave increases.”
About 430,000 residents in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia who are currently without power are braving the conditions, with temperatures well into the 90s forecast in each state as of Monday afternoon.
Officials in those states are currently working to restore power. Millions in the Northeast remain on heightened alert.