A 32-year-old man was killed by a lightning strike in Monroe township, New Jersey, as bands of extreme weather including torrential rain and high winds sparked flash flooding and tornado warnings across several north-eastern US states. The storms knocked out power for hundreds of thousands and disrupted travel.
Widespread rescues and power outages
More than 11 million people from New York north through New England remained under threat of serious flash flooding on Wednesday after downpours prompted dozens of high-water rescues from vehicles and buildings. In Paterson, New Jersey, the fire department rescued at least 20 people on Tuesday, including an elderly woman in a wheelchair. Crews in Reading, Pennsylvania, rescued a family with a young child from a car.
On Wednesday morning, cars were trapped by floodwater in upstate New York, with flash flood warnings issued for Albany, Saratoga, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties. Across the region, tens of thousands remained without power, according to poweroutage.us, and airports reported hundreds of flight cancellations.
Rainfall and forecast
Up to eight inches of rain was forecast for western Connecticut and western and central Massachusetts on Wednesday and Thursday, with up to 12 inches elsewhere, according to AccuWeather. “While not all of that rain will fall at once, torrential rainfall can persist for several hours in some communities, leading to street flooding and rapid rises on small streams and drainage canals,” said senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. The service called it “an unusually strong storm for late July” that would intensify across the north-east, triggering potentially life-threatening flash flooding.
Heat dome and wildfire risk
The National Weather Service said the intense summer “heat dome” affecting tens of millions across the country continued, with extreme heat warnings in multiple states. “Dangerous heat continues across the southern US… bringing above normal temperatures through the remainder of the week,” it warned, with a heat index up to 115F in Texas and Oklahoma. The combination of high temperatures and humidity would lead to “widespread major to extreme heat risk levels”, hazardous to those without adequate cooling or hydration. The heat was expected to spread south-west by Thursday.
In the desert south-west, including Las Vegas, Phoenix and Palm Springs, AccuWeather said temperatures could reach 120F, challenging daily record highs. Highs were expected in the mid-to-upper 90s in much of southern California, including Los Angeles. The heat, abundant sunshine and gusty winds would create a significant wildfire risk from California to Oregon.
Wisconsin tornado upgraded
The National Weather Service upgraded its assessment of a tornado that struck Wisconsin a day earlier, injuring dozens, to a category EF3 with peak winds of 145mph. The tornado traveled just over 12 miles, ripping roofs from businesses in Menasha and destroying a house. Officials said 68 people were treated for injuries, none severe.
