Deadly storm system brings heavy snow and flooding rains to multiple states
A massive, severe storm system that's slamming the U.S. Northeast with heavy snow has this weekend triggered flash flood warnings in West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky, where officials reported at least eight deaths.
The big picture: The multifaceted storm that began Saturday has knocked out power to an estimated half a million customers from Virginia to Mississippi and delayed thousands of flights during the holiday weekend.
Threat level: President Trump approved an emergency disaster declaration for Kentucky, making funds available in the storm that's impacting towns including Hazard, Ky., was were also affected by 2022's deadly flooding.
Meanwhile, the storm was bringing powerful and damaging winds to the mid-Atlantic and heavy snow to New England and parts of Ontario and Quebec in Canada.
Heavy rainfall was expected to continue to bring flash flooding from the mid-Mississippi Valley into the central Appalachians Sunday, per the National Weather Service.
"Severe thunderstorms may bring damaging winds and tornadoes to parts of the Southeast U.S. this weekend," the NWS warned in a forecast discussion.
Zoom in: Mandatory evacuations were announced in Kentucky and Tennessee, where Obion County Mayor Steve Carr declared an emergency Sunday due to flooding.
Beshead said at a Sunday morning briefing that a mother and her 7-year-old daughter were among those to die in floodwater-related incidents in Kentucky and he noted in evening post social media posts that the state was "still facing dangerous conditions across the state."
In Atlanta, Georgia, a local fire department official reported a man in his 60s was killed when a tree fell on his home during the storms.
By the numbers: In Virginia, where river flooding continued to be a concern, utility tracker poweroutage.us estimated more than 206,000 were without electricity on Sunday evening.
In Pennsylvania, where very strong winds of up to 63 mph were observed in parts of Philadelphia, nearly 132,000 customers were without power.
In Maryland, where a high wind warning was in effect through 10pm Sunday ET, nearly 128,000 customers had no power.
Between the lines: Flooding has gotten increasingly severe in an era of extreme weather, research shows.
Human-caused climate change is leading to more frequent and intense extreme precipitation events, according to multiple studies.
In photos: Storm system's effects on U.S., Canada
Go deeper: Polar vortex-tied cold outbreak pushes into U.S. from the Arctic
Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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