A major storm system is battering part of the Northeast with several New England states seeing flooding and power outages. On Monday, December 19, high winds and heavy rains drenched several states on the East Coast. Sections of New York, New Jersey, Maine, and Connecticut have issued flash flood warnings.
Parts of Maine is seeing 60 miles per hour winds which is blowing trash cans, trees, vehicles, and other debris all around. One man in Windham has died when he was clearing debris from a large pine tree from his roof. A piece of the pine tree broke off and killed Troy Olson.
Power Outages From the Storm
The powerful storm has caused over 400,000 people to lose power. Some of which are still without electricity. The wide spread power outages effected people all along the East Coast from Virginia up to Maine.
Furthermore, in Massachusetts, almost 250,000 customers had reported losing electricity at some point during the storm. While parts of the Northeast was battered with mild temperatures, high winds, and heavy rain, the storm brought snow, gusty winds, and cold weather to sections of Northwest Indiana and Illinois.
The Storm’s Winds and Rainfalls
In Massachusetts, some areas like the the Boston Logan, Nantucket, Norwood, Hyannis, and Taunton airports reported winds around 68, 67, and 63 miles per hour. The Blue Hill Observatory reported 90 mph from the storm around 11:38 a.m. Furthermore, the state saw around one and a half to almost five inches of rainfall today.
Charleston, South Carolina saw flash flooding as the storm brought record setting rains to its coast. Moreover, the storm caused trees to crash into roadways causing road closures, in addition to power outages. A situation felt in many states today.
Flash flooding caused many areas to close down roads, leaving some people stranded for a brief time.
Whipping Winds
Additionally, the whipping winds didn’t just wreak havoc on trees and other debris, it also created hazardous driving conditions. In Maine, several drivers to the Chicago Leader the witnessed tractor trailers being pushed around on the highway. One driver stated, “One tractor trailer looked like it was about to be knocked over as I was about to pass it. It’s very scary driving today.”
Furthermore, one reporter for the Chicago Leader based in Maine, stated as she got out of a vehicle “the wind blew the door so hard it almost came off.” Then, as she got out of the car, “the wind smacked me so hard it almost knocked me over.”
The high winds are expected to last through the early hours of December 19 in some areas.
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Interview: 3 Taxi Drivers
Fox Business: Nearly 400K without power across Northeast after storms sweep through region
WCVB-5: Massachusetts peak wind gusts, rainfall totals from December storm
NBC Chicago: Chicago weather: Winter weather advisory issued with snow flurries, 45 mph winds
WABI-TV: Power outages now top 400,000 statewide
NPR: A major storm slamming the Northeast is knocking out power and snarling travel
WMTW: Man killed while clearing tree from roof in Windham, police confirm
Featured Image Courtesy of Rich Brooks’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Thadd Grant‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
