Severe weather updates: 2 dead as storms pummel East Coast

A tornado watch stretched across 11 states from Tennessee to New Jersey.

ByKenton Gewecke, Max Golembo, Dan Peck, Morgan Winsor, and Emily Shapiro
August 7, 2023, 11:25 PM

Two people have died, and hundreds of thousands of customers are without power across several states, as severe storms target the East Coast on Monday.

More than 630,000 customers were without power across 10 states as of 11:30 p.m. ET, according to poweroutage.us. North Carolina had the most outages, with at least 227,000 customers without power, followed by Pennsylvania, with around 149,000 customers in the state without power.

In Florence, Alabama, police said a 28-year-old man was killed when he was struck by lightning in the parking lot of an industrial park.

The Anderson County Coroner's Office in South Carolina also confirmed the death of a 15-year-old who was struck and killed by a falling tree during a severe storm.

Thousands of flights were canceled or delayed. Cities seeing major impacts at airports include Atlanta, New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Boston. The Federal Aviation Administration said thunderstorms are also expected to impact airports in Memphis, Dallas, Denver, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

The FAA issued multiple ground stops Monday night for several airports on the East Coast, including JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, Atlanta and airports in the Washington, D.C., area.

In Washington, D.C., federal employees, including at the White House and the Pentagon, were instructed to leave work early Monday afternoon due to the weather.

PHOTO: A summer derecho approaches the National Mall in Washington, DC, Aug. 7, 2023. For the first time in more than 10 years, the National Weather Service issued a rare 'Level 4' risk for severe storms across the DC region.
A summer derecho approaches the National Mall in Washington, DC, Aug. 7, 2023. For the first time in more than 10 years, the National Weather Service issued a rare 'Level 4' risk for severe storms across the DC region.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
PHOTO: A summer derecho blows past the Capitol in Washington, DC, Aug. 7, 2023. For the first time in more than 10 years, the National Weather Service issued a rare 'Level 4' risk for severe storms across the DC region.
A summer derecho blows past the Capitol in Washington, DC, Aug. 7, 2023. For the first time in more than 10 years, the National Weather Service issued a rare 'Level 4' risk for severe storms across the DC region.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The main threats Monday afternoon and evening are tornadoes and destructive winds.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for parts of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. A tornado watch is stretching across 11 states including Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The severe weather is expected to be gone by Tuesday morning.

Over the weekend, stormy weather spawned tornadoes, triggered flash flooding, knocked out power and uprooted trees across the U.S.

There were more than 300 damaging storm reports from Colorado to Virginia. There were also 10 reported tornadoes -- eight across Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Colorado on Saturday and two in Illinois on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

PHOTO: General view of a scoreboard showing that play has been suspended due to dangerous weather during the final round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on Aug. 6, 2023 in Greensboro, N.C.
General view of a scoreboard showing that play has been suspended due to dangerous weather during the final round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on Aug. 6, 2023 in Greensboro, N.C.
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
PHOTO: Debris flies around as a tornado hits Pickens, S.C., Aug. 3, 2023.
Debris flies around as a tornado hits Pickens, S.C., Aug. 3, 2023.
Kristine Orzeck Barksdale via Reuters

Storm damage was reported from Wichita, Kansas, through central Illinois and into Birmingham, Alabama.

Torrential rainfall led to dangerous flash flooding in parts of northeastern Missouri on Friday night, including in the town of Kahoka, where more than 6 inches of rain fell within six hours. Water rescues were reported in the area.

Golf ball-sized hail was reported in Loveland, Colorado, and Almena, Kansas, on Saturday.

More than 40,000 people were left without electricity in Alabama on Sunday as gusty winds up to 61 miles per hour brought trees crashing down on power lines.

ABC News' Clara McMichael and Teddy Grant contributed to this report.

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