Residents in the Northeast of the United States are cleaning up after powerful storms pounded the region with torrential rain and marble-sized hail, leaving at least four people dead and more than 200,000 homes and businesses without power.
Connecticut officials said two people in the state were killed Tuesday in separate accidents when trees fell on their trucks, including a woman whose 3-year-old child escaped injury.
In New York, falling trees in Newburgh claimed the lives of an 11-year-old girl in a parked car and a woman who was driving.
More than 157,000 utility customers in New York were without power on Wednesday.
The storms downed trees and power lines across the region. Several lightning strikes led to structure fires in New Jersey and Massachusetts.
Weather officials confirmed two tornadoes in Putnam County, an EF2 with peak winds of 180km/h and an EF1 with peak winds of 160km/h and a third tornado in Newburgh in Orange County, an EF0 with peak winds of 135km/h.
New York's Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. reported 125km/h wind gusts on Tuesday and about 1000 lighting strikes per hour.
The National Weather Service said the strong thunderstorms created a small weather-generated tsunami off the New Jersey coast. Known as a meteotsunami, it resulted in fluctuating water levels for several hours.
Roads in many towns were impassible and some schools cancelled classes on Wednesday due to the damage.
Airlines also cancelled and delayed flights in and out of the region.
In New York City on Tuesday evening, thousands of commuters were stranded in Grand Central Terminal after rail lines were temporarily suspended due to downed trees on the tracks.
Australian Associated Press
