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| A police officer offers directions to a driver leaving this heavily damaged supply yard for Cactus Drilling Company on State Highway 66 in El Reno, Okla. on Saturday, June 1, 2013. Employee David Stottemyre was working in the lot when the tornado took aim at the plant. Stottemyre ran inside the large supply storage building and took shelter as the tornado passed over, leaving the building in a twisted pile of steel and metal. He was not injured. |
PORTLAND, Maine
(AP) -- Utility companies in northern New England report that more
than 40,000 customers are without power as strong storms move through
the area.
More than 17,000 are without power
in Maine on Sunday night, and more than 13,000 are without electricity
in New Hampshire. In Vermont, there are just over 10,000 customers
without power.
Earlier Sunday, the National
Weather Service issued a rare tornado warning as a line of thunderstorms
raced through New Hampshire into western Maine.
NWS
Meteorologist Chris Kimble says the thunderstorms packed gusts of 60
mph to 70 mph, causing downed trees and power lines in Maine and New
Hampshire. Earlier, the same line of storms caused similar problems in
Vermont.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Damaging
winds knocked down trees and utility wires in parts of northern New
England on Sunday, flights were delayed in New York City and there were
reports of a tornado in South Carolina as the East Coast braced for the
remnants of violent weather that claimed 13 lives in Oklahoma.
Heavy
rain, thunderstorms, high winds and hail moved through sections of the
Northeast on Sunday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued a
rare tornado warning as a line of thunderstorms raced through New
Hampshire into western Maine. The National Weather Service said a
tornado warning was issued as radar indicated a possible tornado moving
from Kingfield, Maine, to Bingham, Maine. The tornado was not
immediately confirmed.
In northwestern South
Carolina, authorities checked unconfirmed reports of a tornado, said
Jessica Ashley, a shift supervisor for Anderson County's 911 center. The
fire department responded to a report of roof damage to a home and
callers said trees were blown over. No injuries were reported.
The
weather service said thunderstorms and winds in excess of 60 mph in
Vermont produced 1-inch-diameter hail and knocked down numerous trees
and wires. In northern Maine, radar picked up a line of thunderstorms
capable of producing quarter-sized hail and winds stronger than 70 mph.
Forecasters warned of tornadoes.
The
prediction for stormy weather in the New York City region produced
delays at major airports. John F. Kennedy International Airport had
delays of about two hours on departing flights, while La Guardia Airport
was delayed nearly three hours, and Newark Liberty Airport was delayed
more than three hours on arriving flights to New Jersey.
In
the southern part of the United States, thunderstorms, high winds and
hail were expected as part of a slow-moving cold front. Heavy rains
could spawn flash flooding in some areas, the weather service said.
Meanwhile,
residents in Oklahoma cleaned up after the storms there killed 13
people, including three veteran storm chasers. Tim Samaras; his son,
Paul Samaras; and Carl Young were killed Friday. The Storm
Prediction
Center in Norman, Okla., said the men were involved in tornado research.
Jim Samaras told The Associated Press on Sunday that his brother Tim was motivated by science.
"He
looked at tornadoes not for the spotlight of TV but for the scientific
aspect," Jim Samaras said. "At the end of the day, he wanted to save
lives and he gave the ultimate sacrifice for that."
Oklahoma
Gov. Mary Fallin toured damage in El Reno, about 30 miles from Oklahoma
City. She said the death toll could rise as emergency workers continue
searching flooded areas for missing residents.
The
state Medical Examiner's Office spokeswoman Amy Elliott said the death
toll had risen to 13 from Friday's EF3 tornado, which charged down a
clogged Interstate 40 in the western suburbs. Among the dead were two
children - an infant sucked out of the car with its mother and a
4-year-old boy who along with his family had sought shelter in a
drainage ditch.
In Missouri, areas west of St.
Louis received significant damage from an EF3 tornado Friday that
packed estimated winds of 150 mph. In St. Charles County, at least 71
homes were heavily damaged and 100 had slight to moderate damage, county
spokeswoman Colene McEntee said.
Northeast of
St. Louis, the town of Roxana, Ill., also saw damage from an EF3
tornado. Weather service meteorologist Jayson Gosselin said it wasn't
clear whether the damage in Missouri and Illinois came from the same
twister or separate ones.
Five tornadoes
struck the Oklahoma City metro area on Friday, the weather service said.
Fallin said Sunday that 115 people were injured.
The
storms formed out on the prairie west of Oklahoma City, giving
residents plenty of advance notice. When told to seek shelter, many
ventured out and snarled traffic across the metro area - perhaps
remembering when a tornado hit Moore on May 20 and killed 24 people.
Oklahoma
Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph said roadways quickly became
congested with the convergence of rush-hour traffic and fleeing
residents.
"They had no place to go, and
that's always a bad thing. They were essentially targets just waiting
for a tornado to touch down," Randolph said. "I'm not sure why people do
that sort of stuff, but it is very dangerous."
