Powerful winter storms brought strong winds, torrential rain and snowfall to large areas of the United States, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power, killing at least five people and canceling a large number of flights. 100 million people are under strong wind warnings.
Yesterday, a storm mixed with strong winds and torrential rain swept through the northeastern United States, while severe winter weather brought tornadoes and fatal accidents to the Midwest and South.
Florida is at risk of flooding, and the northwest is hit by a blizzard.
At least 5 people died
As of Tuesday, severe weather across the U.S. has killed at least five people. Deaths have been reported in Wisconsin, Michigan, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, firefighters rescue a man trapped in a car by floodwaters
In North Carolina, Catawba County government said one person was killed Tuesday after multiple dwellings in a mobile home park in Claremont were damaged by severe weather.
In Wisconsin, the Jefferson County sheriff's office said one person was killed in a car crash Tuesday morning due to poor road conditions caused by snowfall.
In Alabama, Houston County medical examiners and coroners said an 81-year-old woman in Cottonwood's mobile home was repeatedly knocked down by suspected tornadoes when she was inside the house and died.
In Georgia, the Clayton County Police Department said a tree fell on the windshield of a car in the Jonesboro area, killing the driver.
In Michigan, a 35-year-old woman was killed in a car crash in the town of Webber Tuesday afternoon, according to the Lake County sheriff's office.
The latest forecasts show more winter storms to come.
A man wades through a flooded parking lot near Wijerry Pier in Portland, Maine
A lobster catcher hitchhikes in a flooded parking lot at Widgery Pier in Portland, Maine
Widespread power outages
Widespread power outages are undoubtedly bad news for people in the bitter cold.
More than 800,000 homes and businesses were without power Wednesday morning in more than a dozen states, including more than 141,000 in New York, more than 106,000 in Pennsylvania, more than 75,000 in North Carolina, more than 59,000 in New Jersey and more than 52,000 in Michigan, according to poweroutage.us data.
The town of Lodi, New Jersey, near the Saddle River, was flooded.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has warned residents about power outages in low nights.
On Tuesday afternoon, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.
After Tuesday's downpour, streets around Twilight Lake in Bayhead, New Jersey
Riverside communities in at least one county in New Jersey were flooded Wednesday. Police in Clintontown, New Jersey, posted photos of the town's flooding on the social media platform X.
Flooded cars in Lodi, New Jersey
Many New Jersey families suffering from flooding were forced to evacuate from their homes on Wednesday as river levels once again bordered off the warning line.
According to pix11, the water level in the Passaic River is rising steadily. The Lodi Fire Department urged people to evacuate as soon as they could still leave, not to wait until floodwaters flood the road before driving away, and not to do anything that could jeopardize the rescuers responding to 911 calls.
New York City officials have evacuated nearly 2,000 migrants living in a sprawling tent.
Flight cancellations
More than 1,465 flights were canceled and 9,429 were delayed on Tuesday, according to FlightAware.
Although some of these flight cancellations or delays were due to the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9, thunderstorms caused significant disruption to airports in Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, Florida and North Carolina.
As of press time, the number of delayed flights on Wednesday was 1,009 and the number of canceled flights was 647.
100 million people are under strong wind alerts
From the Mississippi River to the southeast and the East Coast, more than 100 million people are under strong wind warnings.
"Strong winds with winds in excess of 55 mph could cause multiple power outages in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions, as well as moderate to severe coastal flooding," the weather service said. ”
Snow will begin to weaken in the Midwest and Great Lakes on Wednesday, but parts of the Northeast Interior and New England remain at risk. Blizzards in the Northwest are expected to continue through Wednesday morning, with snow totals reaching several feet in higher elevations.
Earlier Wednesday, several rivers in the eastern United States were in major flood stages, most of which were in the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to the weather service.
The National Weather Service has warned that severe flooding could occur in parts of Long Island by Wednesday morning, up to 9 feet deep. Flooding can occur along streams and rivers throughout the tri-state area (New York metro area).
In Connecticut, the Yantic River nearly reached its highest water level in history.
Westport, Massachusetts, strong winds and waves hit the coastline at night,
Excavators try to push away the damaged coastline to stop floodwater from entering the bay.
According to the National Weather Service, flash flood warnings have been issued along the Yantic River in Connecticut due to the bursting of part of the dam.
The burst of the levee left parts of Norwich flooded, several streets blocked, and Norwich Public Schools forced to close for a day. By Wednesday morning, at least 3,000 people in the area were without power. Flood reporting will also continue until 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Thousands of residents in the New York City area lost power on Wednesday (January 10) due to heavy rains and strong winds, and a second strong storm is expected this weekend that will wreak havoc on New York.
According to the New York Post, according to the National Weather Service, New York City, Long Island and much of southeastern Connecticut received between 2 and 3 inches of rain overnight. As of 8 a.m., damaging winds had left tens of thousands of people without power in the tri-state area, according to Poweroutage.us that tracks utility information, although the downpour had largely stopped by morning.
About 1,800 people lost power in Suffolk and Nassau counties on Long Island, while about 1,100 people were affected in Westchester County.
About 2,000 customers lost power Wednesday morning, and hundreds of workers are rushing to help affected customers, United Edison said.
PSEG Long Island, which provides power to the Long Island and Rockaways areas, said it has restored power to more than 12,700 customers since 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Another storm is moving toward the Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains, with more heavy snow, strong winds, and heavy rain along the coast.
Oregon and Washington states have issued rare blizzard alerts outside Seattle and Portland, some of which haven't issued such alerts in more than a decade.
The storm will follow in the footsteps of the current one, bringing more severe weather to the South on Friday, bringing a threat of tornadoes and flooding, and more heavy snow to the Midwest and Great Lakes regions.
From Friday night through Saturday, the storm will move into the northeast, bringing more heavy rain, strong winds and flooding.
New York hasn't completely shaken off the haze yet, with the powerful winter storm expected to hit the city on Saturday.
The upcoming storm may bring snowfall to parts of upstate and west New York, but New York City may only see light snow, and the storm may once again manifest as strong winds and heavy rain. The good news is that the weather is not expected to be as violent as the storms that are currently leaving the area.