Snowfall, rain and gusty winds are hitting the Northeast as Tennessee recovers from deadly tornadoes
A combination of heavy rain, snow and wind brought threats of flooding and power outages to the Northeast on Monday, part of the same storm system that killed six people in Tennessee, where tornadoes toppled homes and tens of thousands of people lost power across the United States . winter weather.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings throughout the evening as snow fell in Vermont and northern New York, where up to 10 inches of snow could accumulate. The weather service said snowfall rates of an inch per hour were possible. Many schools in Vermont were closed.
A mix of rain and snow fell in New Hampshire and some roads had minor flooding in Maine, and gusty winds were expected in New England Monday afternoon.
Between 1.5 and 3 inches of rain fell in the New York City area overnight, but the storm moved quickly and flood and wind warnings were lifted Monday morning.
In the Washington DC area, the rain and mild temperatures also turned to some slushy snow and near freezing temperatures on Sunday evening.
The situation in parts of Tennessee and Kentucky was more dire, with first responders and community members dealing with the aftermath of severe weekend storms and tornadoes that sent dozens of people to hospitals while damaging buildings, overturning vehicles and knocking out power. A total of 11 Tennessee counties were affected by Saturday's tornadoes and severe weather. Weather service teams were out Monday assessing the damage.
The tornado that struck Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday, killing three people and injuring 62, was an EF3, with peak winds of 150 mph (241 km per hour), the weather bureau in Nashville announced. The plane was on the ground for more than an hour and traveled 42 miles (69 kilometers) through Montgomery County, Tennessee, and Todd and Logan counties in Kentucky. At its widest point, the tornado's path was 1,800 feet (549 meters).
Another tornado that hit the Madison neighborhood just north of Nashville and also tore through Hendersvonville and Gallatin had an estimated EF2, with winds of 125 miles per hour, the weather service said. Authorities said one mobile home was thrown onto another, killing three people in the two homes.
In the Bowling Green, Kentucky area, an EF1 tornado traveled more than 2 miles (3.2 km) with peak winds of 90 mph (145 km per hour). And in western Tennessee, a research team found that an EF1 tornado with peak winds of 110 mph (177 km per hour) passed nearly 25 miles (40 kilometers) through western Tennessee's Gibson and Weakley counties in half an hour with a maximum width of 600 meters. (549 meters), but there were no fatalities and only three minor injuries.
“It's really painful to watch, especially during the Christmas season,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee told reporters after touring the damage Sunday. “But again, there's a great wave of hope when you see the Tennesseans come alongside.”