Updated
Updated · Fox Weather · Aug 21
East Coast Storms Kill 1 and Spawn 2 Tornadoes as Flood Threat Shifts South
Updated
Updated · Fox Weather · Aug 21

East Coast Storms Kill 1 and Spawn 2 Tornadoes as Flood Threat Shifts South

3 articles · Updated · Fox Weather · Aug 21

Summary

  • 2 tornadoes and widespread flash flooding hit the I-95 corridor Thursday evening, with a Colorado man killed by lightning in Cape Charles, Virginia, as storms snarled the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic commute.
  • 2-3 inches of rain an hour flooded New York City highways and Subway stations, while a tornado damaged buildings and cut power in Dover, Delaware, and another struck Long Beach, New York.
  • Friday's threat shifts into the Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas, where forecasters expect afternoon and evening storms capable of heavy rain and wind gusts up to 70 mph.
  • Level 2 of 5 severe-storm risk covers central North Carolina and South Carolina, while a Level 2 of 4 flash-flood threat reaches into southern and central Virginia.
  • Saturday puts Philadelphia and Washington in the flood bull's-eye as the front stalls, with a broader East Coast flood risk extending into Sunday as far north as Boston and Portland, Maine.

Insights

With 69 people rescued from flooded cars, is the East Coast's infrastructure completely defenseless against sudden extreme rainfall?
How did 100 people survive a 97-mph waterspout-tornado tearing through a New York beach club with only one minor injury?
What hidden vulnerabilities caused over a quarter-million power outages, forcing local utility companies to call in international help?