At least two deaths from severe storms in central and eastern part of country
Two deaths were reported in Pennsylvania. Severe weather warnings extend through Friday.
Allegheny County, Pa.
From Texas to New England to the Midwest, nearly half of the nation faces severe storm warnings this week. In recent hours, some communities saw this forecast come to fruition with thunderstorms, hail, strong winds and tornadoes.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a tornado uprooted trees, destroyed a couple of outbuildings and damaged roofs, according to reports from the National Weather Service (NWS). Another born between Verona and Aurora, Missouri, uprooted "many large trees" and damaged structures, including a church roof.
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, reported two deaths, one from electrocution. "Please stay off area roads as many downed wires, trees and poles still exist," local authorities warned. "No powered traffic lights means all traffic stops, all at the intersection must take your turn safely."
The city of Pittsburgh, located in the same county, recorded winds of more than 90 miles per hour (144 kilometers per hour), more powerful than some tornadoes. The state was still without power for more than 460,000 customers during the first hours of Wednesday, according to the specialized site PowerOutage.us.
The city of Pittsburgh, located in the same county, recorded winds of more than 90 miles per hour (144 kilometers per hour), stronger than some tornadoes. More than 460,000 customers in the state remained without power in the early hours of Wednesday, according to the tracking site PowerOutage.us.
Forecast for the rest of the week
Severe weather is expected to continue through Wednesday, according to a recent forecast by the NWS, which warns of "possible" damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes.
"Heavy to excessive rainfall may produce additional flash flooding Wednesday across parts of the southern Plains where the greatest risk is along the Red River Valley into western Arkansas," the weather service informed. "Scattered severe thunderstorms are also possible centered on central Texas to eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas."
On Thursday, severe weather is also expected to spread from southwest to northwest, including tornadoes, high winds and flooding. Forecast that could linger into Friday.
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