Two dead and 1.1 million without power in eastern US storms

At least two people died, thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed, and more than 1.1 million homes and businesses lost power on Monday as severe storms moved through the eastern US.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado watch for the greater DC area, lasting until 9pm local time.

A special Weather Service statement warned: “There is a significant threat for damaging and locally destructive hurricane-force winds, along with the potential for large hail and tornadoes, even strong tornadoes.”

The storms’ spread was massive, with tornado watches and warnings posted across 10 states from Tennessee to New York. The NWS said more than 29.5 million people were under a tornado watch on Monday afternoon.

In Anderson, South Carolina, a 15-year-old boy who arrived at his grandparent’s house during the storm was struck and killed when a tree fell on him as he got out of a car, according to the Anderson County Office of the Coroner.

In Florence, Alabama, police said a 28-year-old man was struck by lightning and died, WAAY-TV reported.

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.

“This does look to be one of the most impactful severe weather events across the Mid-Atlantic that we have had in some time,” NWS meteorologist Chris Strong said in a Facebook live briefing.

The storms were expected to strike major population areas in the late afternoon and early evening, prompting federal workers to be sent home early so they would not be in their cars amid wind, hail and tornadoes.

Mr Strong advised residents: “Have yourself in a strong shelter. Be at home or be at work.”

The storms postponed a Major League Baseball game between the Phillies and the Washington Nationals in Philadelphia, and in Maryland, the NWS issued a flash flood warning into Tuesday after four inches of rain fell in a short amount of time.

By early evening, more than 1.1 million customers were without power across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia — all states along the storm system’s path, according to poweroutage.us.

The Knoxville Utilities Board tweeted that the damage across its service area in Tennessee was “widespread and extensive” and will likely take several days to repair.

Trees and power lines were toppled in multiple states, falling into roads and some homes, news outlets reported.