Weather forecasters warned people across eastern US of an impending tornado, following which US government offices in the Washington DC area were adjourned for the day early, on Monday. They also foreshadowed possible damaging winds and hailstones.
According to PowerOutrage.us, a tracking website, high octane winds and fast- moving thunderstorms toppled trees and upended power of nearly 200,000 homes and offices in adjoining Maryland and Virginia. Around 800,000 customers, in the southern and Mid-Atlantic states had lost power.
On Monday, more than 29.5 million people were at risk of tornadoes, but none had been reported as of 9pm EDT, The National Weather Service informed. Although drenched in rain and hail, Washington averted any cyclones by the time a National Weather Service Tornado watch expired at 9 pm EDT, while a coastal flood advisory persisted until 4 a.m.
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Departing Flights were ordered to remain grounded at airports in New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Baltimore, by the Federal Aviation Administration. Aircrafts were being rerouted around the storms, they further added. Other municipal and federal services like libraries, museums, the national zoo, pool also closed early in Washington. Federal employees at the US Office of Personnel Management were asked to depart latest by 3 p.m.
More than 2600 US flights, including 102 at Washington Reagan National Airport and 35 at Washington Dulles stood cancelled, as per FlightAware, a flight tracking site. 7,700 US flights had also been delayed, in lieu of an imminent storm.
