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That sinking feeling: Homeowner Doug Swinton surveys his property after a tree fell through his home's roof in Gamber, Maryland last night |
According to WAVY.com, a tornado and waterspout – a funnel over the water – swept through Hampton, Virginia after what witnesses described as a pleasant evening rain. ‘It was like a freight train,’ Gary McIntire, a resident of Hampton, told the station. ‘It was like the Wizard of Oz…It was really truly awe-inspiring and awful.’ At the Hampton Yacht club, boats up to 30-feet long were lifted from the water and deposited sideways, as debris and tree leaves went flying, witnesses said. Most of the damage was to the boats that were on land, WAVY.com reported. The weather system, more often seen in the Midwest and the Great Plains, left many scrambling for cover. While there have not been any injuries reported, there was significant damage to power lines and trees in the storm’s path. The Virginia storm’s path swept into major cities like Baltimore and Washington D.C., as the city experienced flood warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings throughout the night. Harford County, Maryland saw severe damage from last night’s storms. A tree fell into a local house, and up to two dozen buildings were severely damaged in the storm, the Baltimore Sun reported. There was also a reported tornado in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh. Residents reported many fallen trees and property damage. A shelter was set up at a nearby YMCA for the town’s residents. According to the Weather Channel, the storm caused a dome at Robert Morris University to collapse. The school, just outside of Pittsburgh, said that all students were able to escape without sustaining injuries.WATCH: Tornado damage in Hampton, Virginia.
Yet another tornado was reported in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The twister touched down near Highway 17, but went airborne after several minutes. The NWS warns of driving in flood waters, as it often is deeper than it appears. According to MSNBC, some 11,000 people had no power overnight. The storm also left those in nearby Prince George’s County, Maryland without electricity. The unusual storm pattern also caused a headache for thousands of commuters. According to NBC Washington, the Orange Line on DC’s Metro was closed due to a fallen tree on the tracks. Additional, surrounding airports suffered heavy delays beginning Friday afternoon. As the system pulls moisture in from the Atlantic Ocean, heaviest rainfall is anticipated across the Northeast and Upper Ohio River Valley. However, warm and humid conditions of the Southeast will allow for severe thunderstorm development. Behind this system in the Plains, there will be significantly cooler temperatures after the passage of the strong cold front. Temperatures will be 15 to 20 degrees below seasonable from the Central Plains through parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes. In the West, a cold front over the Pacific Northwest continues pushing moisture onshore. This will produce more widespread scattered showers across Oregon and Washington, but heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are not likely. Meanwhile, mild moisture and warm temperatures over the Central and Northern Rockies will support afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. Severe weather development is not likely in these areas. Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday have ranged from a morning low of 26 degrees at Silver Bay, Minnesota to a high of 102 degrees at El Centro, California. - Daily Mail.