Millions across the country are waking up to more severe weather on Tuesday, with hundreds of flights in and out of the East Coast canceled overnight after storms lashed the region and a deadly heat wave has drowned the south
More than 715 flights in and out of the United States were canceled early Tuesday morning, with nearly 280 of those flights flying in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport, according to online tracking. FlightAware.
LaGuardia Airport had more than 115 cancellations, while John F. Kennedy International Airport had more than 70 and Boston Logan International Airport nearly 60.
Newark, LaGuardia and JFK warned on Twitter that weather conditions were causing flight disruptions, delays and cancellations as they advised travelers to allow extra time and contact their airlines for updates.
The National Meteorological Service warned that widespread clusters of showers and thunderstorms extend over the region through early Tuesday morning, and another front is expected to bring more severe weather.
“It’s definitely an adventure”
For Toya Stewart Downey and her family, bad weather has caused major disruption, turning what was supposed to be a direct flight from New York to Minneapolis into a potentially days-long trip.
Stewart Downey, 57, and his two sons, Cameron, 24, and Dallas, 15, had been in New York to celebrate their son’s 16th birthday. When they arrived at LaGuardia around 4 p.m. ET for their 6:30 p.m. flight back to Minneapolis, the family noted that a number of flights were canceled due to bad weather, but they kept the ‘hope that his own journey would not be affected.
Planes sit on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Monday as bad weather disrupts travel. NBC New York
After hours of waiting, they learned that their own flight had been delayed and then canceled entirely due to bad weather, with the next flight not available until Thursday.
“We said we’ll take any flight to any city,” Stewart Downey, director of communications for a Minnesota school district, said in a phone interview.
She said she and her family ended up having to take a Lyft, which she said was paid for by Delta Air Lines, to Hartford, Conn., a nearly 2-hour drive, hoping to catch a flight to Detroit and finally, finally. , in Minneapolis.
The trip could keep the family from reaching their destination until Wednesday, he said.
Delta did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment from NBC News.
The family had commitments back home in Minneapolis, Stewart Downey said, adding, “We all want to get back as soon as possible.”
“It’s definitely an adventure,” Cameron said of the unexpected journey home.
The 24-year-old said that after spending nearly 9 hours at LaGuardia and then having to take a Lyft early Tuesday morning, her family was “tired, but I think there’s enough to do and figure out which it isn’t. It’s not hard to stay awake either.”
If they had waited for Thursday’s flight, he said, it would have “felt a bit strange that I would suddenly have to be in New York for a whole week”.
More severe weather on the way
More severe weather is expected in the area, with the National Weather Service warning that a front extending from parts of the Great Lakes/Mid-Atlantic into the Southeast and then into the Southern Plains will also was moving towards the east coast.
The associated front was expected to bring moderate to severe showers and thunderstorms to parts of New York State, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and North Carolina, with a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms to parts of the Northeast/ Mid-Atlantic through Wednesday morning. , the weather service said in a later update Tuesday morning.
“Hazards associated with these storms are frequent lightning, severe storm-force wind gusts, hail and a minimal threat of tornadoes,” the weather service said.
Already, photos and videos shared on social media appeared to show areas of hail storms pennsylvania i North Carolina Monday.
Meanwhile, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned Monday that “severe weather is expected across the state this week, bringing persistent rain, thunderstorms and the potential for flash flooding.”
“Our state agencies are preparing emergency response assets and we are in close contact with local governments across the state to ensure they are ready,” Hochul said. “I encourage all New Yorkers to monitor their local weather forecasts, heed warnings and plan accordingly.”
Along the western edge of the eastward-moving front, showers and thunderstorms were expected to develop across parts of southern Kansas, Oklahoma, far southwest Missouri, and northwest of Arkansas, the National Weather Service said, adding that there was an increased risk of severe storms. place for parts of the central and southern plains through wednesday morning.
“Hazards associated with these storms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail and some tornadoes,” along with the threat of “two-inch or larger hail,” he said.
Separate heavy rain and thunderstorms were expected in parts of South Dakota and Nebraska.
Potentially record heat in Texas
While many braced for stormy conditions, residents of Texas and neighboring states continue to deal with severe heat, which turned deadly after two people died while hiking in Big Bend National Park.
Extreme heat advisories with triple-digit heat indices were expected to continue Tuesday, with potentially record-breaking temperatures, the National Weather Service warned.
A man rests in the shade at a playground set on June 20, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images
“The stagnant upper-level ridge over the south-central United States and the resulting multi-week heat wave will not only continue, but begin to expand in scope over the next few days as the ridge builds toward the northeast,” the weather service said in an online update. .
“Highs from southeastern Arizona to southern New Mexico and Texas will remain in the 100s Tuesday, with the upper 90s to 100s extending northward into the central plains and mid/lower Missouri Valley , as well as east in the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday,” he said. .
Some daily records or even potential highs were “again possible for parts of Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley.”
Recovery after a deadly storm
The death toll from severe weather across the country also continues to rise, with at least three people dead after a storm front wreaked havoc across the Midwest and South on Sunday.
One person was killed when a tornado tore through a home in Martin County, Indiana, officials said. with Martin County Emergency Management Director Cameron Wolf confirming the death and saying the victim’s injured partner was airlifted to a hospital.
A resident looks at the damage to her home in Stanford, Indiana, after a tornado hit the area Sunday afternoon. Jeremy Hogan / SOPA via Getty Images
In Arkansas, two people were also killed when a tree fell on a home in Carlisle, the Associated Press. reported. A third person was also injured in the incident, according to the company.
Elsewhere, more homes were damaged, roads were blocked by tree limbs and debris, and large hail was reported as the same storm front moved across south-central Indiana and adjacent states .
