NEW YORK — Powerful thunderstorms swept across parts of the U.S. East Coast during the Independence Day holiday weekend, disrupting travel, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers and prompting flash flood warnings as millions of Americans returned home after the long weekend.
The severe weather followed an extended period of dangerous heat that affected much of the eastern United States, with the National Weather Service warning that slow-moving thunderstorms could produce torrential rainfall, damaging wind gusts and localized flash flooding across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Monday. Forecasters urged residents to avoid flooded roadways and monitor rapidly changing conditions.
Air travelers also faced delays as thunderstorms affected major transportation hubs along the Interstate 95 corridor, including airports serving New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Newark. Several airlines issued travel waivers allowing passengers to change flights without additional fees because of the expected weather disruptions.
Utility companies reported widespread outages after storms swept across several states. More than 700,000 customers were without electricity nationwide by Sunday evening, with Pennsylvania and Michigan among the hardest-hit states, according to outage tracking cited by weather officials. In Connecticut, powerful storms that struck late on July 4 left tens of thousands of customers without power, damaged homes and infrastructure, and prompted local emergency declarations in several communities as crews worked to clear fallen trees and restore service.
The storms arrived as a persistent heat dome that had blanketed much of the eastern half of the country began to weaken. Officials in New Jersey said at least 22 suspected heat-related deaths had been reported during the prolonged period of extreme temperatures, while heat-related fatalities were also reported in other states. Authorities cautioned that investigations into several deaths remained ongoing.
The National Weather Service said the advancing weather system would bring some relief from record-breaking temperatures but warned that cooler air would be accompanied by the risk of heavy rainfall, flash flooding and severe thunderstorms across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast through Monday.
Emergency management officials advised residents to remain alert for weather warnings, avoid driving through floodwaters, stay clear of downed power lines and prepare for additional travel disruptions as the storm system continued moving across the region. Utility crews and emergency responders remained deployed Monday to restore power, clear debris and respond to weather-related incidents.
