Damaging winds and large hail were widespread as severe weather erupted across the eastern United States on Monday, causing power outages and forcing the cancellation and delays of thousands of flights.
Published Aug 7, 2023 4:51 PM EDT | Updated Aug 8, 2023 8:53 AM EDT
Severe thunderstorms marched across the eastern United States on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring four others. High winds caused widespread damage and power outages.
A 15-year-old boy was struck and killed by a fallen tree as he was getting out of a car at his grandparents' house in Anderson, South Carolina, The Associated Press reported. The Florence, Alabama, Police Department confirmed Monday evening that a lightning strike at Florence Industrial Park killed a 28-year-old man.
Power outages were widespread by Monday evening and damaging winds were the most prevalent cause, with more than 1 million customers in the dark from Pennsylvania to Georgia, according to PowerOutage.us. By Tuesday morning, the number of outages was below 400,000.
Over 500 reports of wind damage were filed by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) between noon and 2 a.m. Tuesday morning EDT. The total number of storm reports listed by the SPC Monday ranked as the second-highest day so far this year, falling only behind March 31 when the tally was 704 severe weather reports.
Power outages across the eastern United States at 4:30 a.m. EDT on Aug. 8, 2023.
More than 1,700 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled on Monday, and more than 8,900 arriving and departing flights in the U.S. were delayed as severe weather erupted across the East on Monday, according to FlightAware. At one point on Monday evening, ground stops were in effect simultaneously for airports in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and the New York City area, according to CNN.
As destructive winds tore through, three people were injured by falling trees in Westminster, Maryland, and Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania.
Storm clouds darken the sky over the Washington Monument, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, in Washington. Thousands of federal employees were sent home early Monday as the Washington area faced a looming forecast for destructively strong storms, including tornadoes, hail and lightning. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The storms spawned dangerous winds southward into northern parts of Georgia and Alabama as they ignited along a cold front draped across the area. A weather station northeast of Atlanta at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport reported a wind gust of 71 mph at 4:50 p.m. EDT on Aug. 7, 2023.
Videos and photos of thunderstorm wind damage emerged on social media Monday, including intense winds filmed in Cullman, Alabama. Between torrential rain and strong winds, the storm reduced the visibility to nearly zero there.
One user even commented that it looked like a “mild tornado” rolled through his backyard, adding that the strong winds knocked a tree over, according to Storyful.
Some of the strongest storms on Monday also produced large hail. Golf ball-sized hail was reported in Earlysville, Virginia, and Funkstown, Maryland.
Storm clouds darken the sky over the Washington Monument, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, in Washington. Thousands of federal employees were sent home early Monday as the Washington area faced a looming forecast for destructively strong storms, including tornadoes, hail and lightning. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Even outside of severe weather, frequent lightning strikes were creating dangers across the East. In North Carolina, a person was injured after being struck by lightning in Vale, about 30 miles northwest of Charlotte. Over 100,000 lightning events were detected across the eastern U.S. as the severe weather blitzed the region, according to AccuWeather's database.
Severe thunderstorms will continue to rumble across the U.S. through at least midweek with damaging thunderstorms over part of the Plains and into the Tennessee Valley.
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