At least four dead as storm batters Northeastern US, power knocked out, flights grounded and roads flooded

At least four people reportedly died in different incidents after a storm slammed into the Northeastern United States on Monday (Dec 18). The storm flooded roads, downed trees, and knocked out power, impacting hundreds of thousands of people. 

Local reports said that as the storm moved towards Canada, a woman died in floodwaters near Charleston, South Carolina, and three men were killed in the northeastern states. 

The National Weather Service revealed that more than 13 centimetres of rain fell in parts of New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania by mid-morning, and parts of several other states got more than 10 centimetres. 

Wind gusts reached nearly 113 kph along the southern New England shoreline. The disruptions led to flight cancellations and school closures. 

Poweroutage.us reported that the power was knocked out for hundreds of thousands of customers in an area stretching north from Virginia through New England, including nearly 423,000 in Maine and about 200,000 in Massachusetts as of Monday night. 

Flood and flash flood advisories were issued for New York City and the surrounding area, as well as areas of Pennsylvania, upstate New York, western Connecticut, western Massachusetts, and parts of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

The storm forced some schools to cancel classes or send students home early. A number of highways were also closed around the state owing to floods, particularly in Londonderry and Ludlow, both of which were severely flooded in July. 

Gov Phil Scott said, “Although there will be damage to infrastructure, homes and businesses, we do not expect this to be the same scale as July. That being said, some of the places that were impacted in July are currently experiencing flooding once again. So for them, this is July and it’s a real gut punch.” 

(With inputs from agencies)