WeatherFanatics: Northeast Severe Storms Kill 1; Reported Tornado Hits Northern Maine

Monday, July 18, 2016

Northeast Severe Storms Kill 1; Reported Tornado Hits Northern Maine

Pam Wright and Sean Breslin
Published: July 18,2016

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across the Northeast on Monday and was blamed for one death in New Jersey.
A 26-year-old woman was getting out of her car in Fanwood, New Jersey, when power lines were knocked down onto her car and she was electrocuted, according to NBC New York. Authorities said the severe storms were responsible for the fatal incident.
The storms caused problems across the Northeast and into far northern New England. According to the National Weather Service, spotters saw a tornado in progress near Woodland, Maine – only about 20 miles south of the Canadian border – that was leaving damage Monday evening.

Storm damage is seen in Havertown, Pennsylvania, on Monday, July 18, 2016.
(George Caroulis)

A downed tree sits on top of a vehicle in Havertown, Pennsylvania, on Monday, July 18, 2016.
(Twitter/Christine St. John)

(MORE: Where the Storms Could Hit Next)
The Federal Aviation Administration said late Monday afternoon that eight major airports in the Northeast and New England were forced into a ground stop by the dangerous storms. Those ground stops spanned every major airport from Boston Logan International Airport down to the three airports in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area.
Those airports reported dozens of flight cancellations Monday afternoon, according to FlightAware. Newark International Airport reported a wind gust of 66 miles per hour Monday afternoon as storms rolled through New York and New Jersey.
Tornado warnings in Maine and New Hampshire are rare, according to weather.com meteorologist Brian Donegan. And yet, a tornado warning was issued in each of those states Monday afternoon. One was for Sullivan, New Hampshire, and another was for Kingfield, Maine, south of Carrabassett Valley.
More than 6,000 customers lost power in Connecticut during the storms, according to Eversource Energy. Another 13,000 Eversource customers lost power in New Hampshire, and more than 10,000 homes and businesses in Maine lost power on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
In the Philadelphia area, more than 16,000 PECO customers were without power Monday evening.
Golf ball-sized hail was reported Monday afternoon in northern New Hampshire, according to the National Weather Service.