Post by gearcruncher on Feb 12, 2009 21:29:16 GMT -5
600,000 outages in eastern U.S.; school gym collapses, killing one
Severe storms with gusts sometimes reaching hurricane force knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people overnight, disrupted travel and caused at least three deaths.
Residents fired up chainsaws to clear roads and homes of trees, even as winds continued and, in New York City's case, sent garbage cans flying through city streets.
In New Jersey, a 61-year-old motorist was killed early Thursday in Union County when the wind blew the top of a tree through her windshield. Wind was also believed to be a factor in the death of a 59-year-old New York City construction worker, killed when a wall collapsed, officials said.
Authorities in West Virginia said one person was killed when a severe thunderstorm collapsed a school gym during a wake. At least 153,000 customers lost power in the state overnight, and by midday that was down to 73,000.
In Kentucky, which was devastated by a crippling ice storm two weeks ago, the winds had caused at least 120,000 new outages. Most of those were in the southeastern part of the state, while the ice storm outages were mostly in western Kentucky.
Nearly 250,000 customers lost power in Ohio alone late Wednesday and early Thursday. There were also 250,000 outages in Pennsylvania, 52,000 in Michigan, and more than 30,000 around Buffalo, N.Y.
Outages were also reported in Tennessee, New Jersey, North Carolina, Indiana and Maryland.
Schools were closed in some areas, including Buffalo, N.Y., and at least two dozen counties in West Virginia. Other schools opened late.
Interstate closed for 3 hours
A downed power line forced the closure of Interstate 90 west of Erie, Pa., for three hours on Thursday morning. The wind also disrupted the morning rail commute in the New York City area, and four people were hurt, apparently by flying glass, when a crossing gate flew into a Long Island Rail Road train.
The windy weather was attributed to a strong low pressure system. The National Weather Service reported a wind gust of 92 mph in Allegheny County in Pennsylvania, but said most gusts in the area were no greater than 60 mph. Category 1 hurricanes start at 74 mph.
Gusts topping 65 mph were reported Wednesday night in Indiana and Ohio as a cold front moved through. Gusts as high as 45 mph were still being reported by Thursday morning in that area.
To the east, wind gusts of 48 mph were reported in New York City, and average flight delays topped 3 hours Thursday morning at LaGuardia Airport. New Jersey's Newark airport also saw delays.
Flooding in Ohio
A warm spell that preceded the cold front led to flooding in some areas as snow melted and ice jams formed on creeks.
Some streets were underwater in a flood-prone area of Findlay, Ohio. Police ordered bystanders off a bridge in Buffalo, N.Y., and closed the span Wednesday after a huge ice jam built up on a creek. It eventually broke up. An ice jam also backed up the Grand River at Grand Rapids, Mich.
Severe storms with gusts sometimes reaching hurricane force knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people overnight, disrupted travel and caused at least three deaths.
Residents fired up chainsaws to clear roads and homes of trees, even as winds continued and, in New York City's case, sent garbage cans flying through city streets.
In New Jersey, a 61-year-old motorist was killed early Thursday in Union County when the wind blew the top of a tree through her windshield. Wind was also believed to be a factor in the death of a 59-year-old New York City construction worker, killed when a wall collapsed, officials said.
Authorities in West Virginia said one person was killed when a severe thunderstorm collapsed a school gym during a wake. At least 153,000 customers lost power in the state overnight, and by midday that was down to 73,000.
In Kentucky, which was devastated by a crippling ice storm two weeks ago, the winds had caused at least 120,000 new outages. Most of those were in the southeastern part of the state, while the ice storm outages were mostly in western Kentucky.
Nearly 250,000 customers lost power in Ohio alone late Wednesday and early Thursday. There were also 250,000 outages in Pennsylvania, 52,000 in Michigan, and more than 30,000 around Buffalo, N.Y.
Outages were also reported in Tennessee, New Jersey, North Carolina, Indiana and Maryland.
Schools were closed in some areas, including Buffalo, N.Y., and at least two dozen counties in West Virginia. Other schools opened late.
Interstate closed for 3 hours
A downed power line forced the closure of Interstate 90 west of Erie, Pa., for three hours on Thursday morning. The wind also disrupted the morning rail commute in the New York City area, and four people were hurt, apparently by flying glass, when a crossing gate flew into a Long Island Rail Road train.
The windy weather was attributed to a strong low pressure system. The National Weather Service reported a wind gust of 92 mph in Allegheny County in Pennsylvania, but said most gusts in the area were no greater than 60 mph. Category 1 hurricanes start at 74 mph.
Gusts topping 65 mph were reported Wednesday night in Indiana and Ohio as a cold front moved through. Gusts as high as 45 mph were still being reported by Thursday morning in that area.
To the east, wind gusts of 48 mph were reported in New York City, and average flight delays topped 3 hours Thursday morning at LaGuardia Airport. New Jersey's Newark airport also saw delays.
Flooding in Ohio
A warm spell that preceded the cold front led to flooding in some areas as snow melted and ice jams formed on creeks.
Some streets were underwater in a flood-prone area of Findlay, Ohio. Police ordered bystanders off a bridge in Buffalo, N.Y., and closed the span Wednesday after a huge ice jam built up on a creek. It eventually broke up. An ice jam also backed up the Grand River at Grand Rapids, Mich.