A series of severe storms and tornadoes have left a trail of destruction across several states in the U.S., claiming at least three lives and injuring dozens more. The powerful storm system, which swept through the South, Ohio Valley, and parts of the Northeast, has also left tens of thousands of people without power and caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure.
In Pennsylvania, two people were killed by falling trees in separate incidents on Wednesday. An 82-year-old woman in Collegeville and a 70-year-old man in Aston Township lost their lives when trees fell on their vehicles while driving, according to officials who spoke to CNN affiliate WPVI. Meanwhile, in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed that at least one person, a young man, was killed in a car accident in Campbell County as a result of the brutal storms that battered the state on Tuesday.
The storms also left a trail of injuries across several states. In Jeffersonville, Indiana, just north of Louisville, at least 10 people were injured, according to the town's mayor, who shared photos with CNN affiliate WLKY showing chunks taken out of several homes' roofs and debris strewn about a neighborhood. In West Virginia, at least 13 homes were damaged and some residents suffered non-life-threatening injuries in Fayette County, as reported by the county's Office of Emergency Management director, Kevin Walker.
Sixteen tornadoes were reported Tuesday and Wednesday morning across Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia, along with dozens of damaging wind reports, including gusts topping 100 mph in Kentucky. In Conyers, Georgia, a tornado ripped through the area just southeast of Atlanta early Wednesday morning, downing power lines and causing damage. The National Weather Service office in Peachtree City rated the twister as an EF2, with winds as high as 115 mph, traveling approximately 9.5 miles and spanning 800 yards wide.
As of Thursday morning, more than 89,000 people across Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and West Virginia have been left without power, according to PowerOutage.us. West Virginia is reporting 52,503 outages alone, followed by Pennsylvania at 27,869. Several storm and high wind warnings remain in effect or are expected in parts of the Northeast, including Massachusetts and Maine, while flood warnings and advisories have been issued for several states, including Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Wisconsin, Illinois, and New York.
In addition to the severe storms and tornadoes, a long-duration winter storm is expected to produce significant snow and gusty winds across the Great Lakes and Northeast, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 12 million people, mainly across northern New England, are under winter weather alerts. Heavy, wet snow is expected to persist across Wisconsin and Upper Michigan into Thursday, with as much as two feet of snow expected in parts of Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, prompting a blizzard warning due to the combination of strong winds and heavy snow.
The winter storm has already knocked out power to nearly 86,000 customers in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan as of Wednesday evening, according to PowerOutage.us. Heavy snow and some sleet are expected to move into northern New York, most of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine later Wednesday afternoon, with snow accumulations of 6 to 14 inches possible and sleet accumulations of up to an inch. The combination of heavy snow and gusty winds could lead to hazardous travel conditions, power outages, and downed trees.
The National Weather Service has also warned of the potential for moderate coastal flooding in portions of the Northeast coast late Wednesday through Thursday, which could result in widespread roadway flooding, coastal and bayside flooding, impassable roads, and damage to vulnerable structures.
