Severe storms hit several eastern states of the US wreaking havoc in many places, causing thousands of flight cancellations and leaving more than 1.1 million homes and businesses without power on Monday.
At least two people also died in storm-related incidents.
Flight chaos: Thousands affected by storms
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the greater Washington DC area, lasting until 9 PM, AP reported.
The storms’ spread was massive, with tornado watches and warnings posted across 10 states from Tennessee to New York. The National Weather Service said more than 29.5 million people were under a tornado watch Monday afternoon.
By Monday night, more than 2,600 US flights had been cancelled and nearly 7,900 delayed, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.
Many cancellations were at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which was digging out from disruptions caused by Sunday storms.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was rerouting planes around storms heading to the East Coast.
Biden’s trip delayed
The White House pushed up by 90 minutes President Joe Biden’s departure on a four-day trip that’s taking him to Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The White House also cancelled a back-to-school cybersecurity event that was to feature first lady Jill Biden, who is a teacher, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and school administrators, educators and education technology providers from around the country.
The storms were expected to strike major population areas in late afternoon and early evening, prompting federal workers to be sent home early so they wouldn’t be in their cars amid wind, hail and tornadoes.
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