Most of the eastern U.S. faces threats of severe weather Thursday as the deadly storm system that inflicted immense damage across the Gulf Coast heads north, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and possible tornadoes to the southeast, mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes regions.
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Tornado advisories were active across a large swath of the Florida Peninsula and southern Georgia while millions of people from Indiana to Pennsylvania were under flash flood warnings, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasts delayed the first round of the prestigious Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, as meteorologists and tournament officials warned of thunderstorms and strong wind gusts. Further north, the weather prediction center said flash flooding may occur in several metro areas including Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C.
More than 155,000 utility customers were without power from Louisiana to North Carolina, according to a USA TODAY database. Airports spanning much of the eastern U.S. including those in states such as Florida, New York and Massachusetts were reporting significant delays. The most travel holdups occurred in Orlando, where over 140 flights were delayed and a dozen were canceled, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.
Tornadoes and damaging winds are among forecasters' top concerns for the day after at least three twisters were confirmed in southern Louisiana on Wednesday. Gulf Coast residents and authorities alike were still assessing the damage after a series of powerful storms destroyed homes, uprooted trees and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses.
Meteorologists anticipate heavy rain and high winds to continue lashing the Great Lakes and Northeast regions Friday and Saturday, the weather service said.
The system unleashed a barrage of severe weather conditions across the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, leading to mass power outages, travel disruptions, widespread damage and flooding in New Orleans.
In Pensacola, Florida, strong winds uprooted a massive tree and toppled it onto a mobile home. Just before the tree crushed the center of the trailer, the owner was able to lead his roommate into the bathroom where they both sheltered.
Two confirmed tornadoes ripped through Slidell, a town 30 miles northeast of New Orleans, and the southwestern city of Lake Charles, where the twister had top wind speeds of 115 mph. Another tornado was confirmed in Saint Francisville, a town about 31 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, according to the weather service survey crews. Damage in Saint Francisville and Slidell were consistent with at least an EF-1 tornado, which can unleash winds of 86-110 mph, the weather service said.
One person died in in Mississippi due to the storms, according to the state's emergency management agency. The 64-year-old woman's oxygen machine stopped working after losing power in Scott County, Weather.com reported.
