Floods and snowfalls in the USA: 4 people died, thousands of homes were left without electricity

At least four people have died after a powerful storm caused dangerous flooding and travel disruptions along the East Coast. The storm knocked out power to more than 4 homes and businesses in the Northeast. Low temperatures and heavy snowfall are observed there on December 620, reports CNN.

Photo: IStock

The storm system carved a chaotic path along the east coast. A 73-year-old man in Pennsylvania and a 72-year-old woman in South Carolina died. Their cars were drowned in the floodwaters, local authorities said. Two more deaths were reported in Maine and Massachusetts.

The storm brought chaos

On December 18, the storm struck the Northeast, causing 5 to 10 cm of rainfall across the region in 24 hours. Heavy rains caused flooding, which submerged cars. Drivers were trapped in their cars on flooded roads in New Jersey and Connecticut. This prompted the need for water rescue operations in New Hampshire and Maine.

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The storm moved into Canada late on December 18, with precipitation largely diminishing in the Northeast. But its effects will linger over New England on December 19th. The threat of flooding remains for many communities where river levels are still peaking.

Parts of Western New York and Pennsylvania, as well as parts of the Great Lakes and Appalachians, may also see snow on December 19.

Temperatures will drop to -1 degrees across much of the Northeast. More than 620 homes and businesses in the region were without power in the early hours of December 000th. The vast majority of outages are in Maine, where 18 people are without power.

It could take days for some Maine households to fully restore power, Central Maine Power, which serves more than 600 customers, warned.

Catastrophic flood risk

Poor weather conditions have forced school closures in several districts in Maine and New Hampshire.

Schools in Paterson, New Jersey were also closed until further notice. The mayor declared an emergency on December 18 afternoon in anticipation of flooding from the rising Passaic River. He said he was "expecting the worst" of the flooding in the next 24 hours.

According to the National Weather Service, Passaic is expected to rise to 19 feet during the day on Dec. 3,6, a potential record level that could flood some surrounding roadways.

In nearby Little Falls, the mayor urged residents to evacuate before midnight on Dec. 18 due to the threat of flooding that officials previously warned could be “catastrophic.”

“Residents remain in their homes at their own risk,” said Mayor James Belford Damiano. “Flooding may cause hazards that could interfere with rescue operations during the night hours.”

On December 19, most northeast rising rivers will peak. It is expected that water will come out of them in the coming days. As of the morning of December 19, nine rivers in the region were at severe flood stage. The risk of flooding could worsen in some New England states as heavy rain falls on top of established snowpack. This could lead to rapid snow melt and a sharp increase in the threat of flooding.

Dangerous storm conditions lead to deaths

The storm has moved up the East Coast and into the Northeast since the weekend, killing at least four people from South Carolina to Maine.

In Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, a 72-year-old woman was found dead on December 17 after becoming trapped. Her car was completely submerged in water. More than 15 cm of rain fell in the area that day.

Another person, a 73-year-old man, also died after his car became submerged in floodwaters caused by heavy rainfall in Pennsylvania on December 18.

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On December 18, a 40-year-old man died in Windham, Maine, after a piece of wood fell on him while he was on his roof trying to remove another piece of wood from his home.

Also on December 18, high winds and rain in Massachusetts caused a tree to collapse on a small travel trailer in Plymouth County. As a result of the incident, an 89-year-old man inside suffered a serious head injury. The man was pulled from the trailer but later died from his injuries.

Snow arrives in Great Lakes and Appalachia

Cold air accompanying the storm prompted winter weather warnings in 10 states in the Great Lakes, Appalachia and Inland Northeast.

Parts of northwestern New York and Ohio, as well as central Pennsylvania and West Virginia, are under winter storm warnings through the morning of December 19. Up to 30 cm of snow fell there.

Surrounding areas could see between 3 and 15 cm of snow, while affected areas around the Great Lakes are forecast to get up to 18 cm, according to the weather service.

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