Deadly Storms in New York, Maryland

[Content Note: Extreme weather; death.]

Powerful storms hit central New York last night, "killing four people, destroying or damaging numerous houses and knocking out power to more than 70,000 utility customers, officials said Wednesday."

The deaths occurred in the rural town of Smithfield, between Syracuse and Utica, after the storms hit at about 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Madison County Sheriff's Office said.

Injuries and damage from fast-moving storms Tuesday were not limited to New York state. In Maryland, a child at a summer camp was killed by a falling tree.

...Early Wednesday, about 72,000 homes and businesses were without power, most in central and northern New York.

...Also, severe thunderstorms spawned at least one tornado in Mercer county in northwestern Pennsylvania, and more than 300,000 homes and businesses lost power at the peak of the storms. Early Wednesday, more than 135,000 across the state remained without power, including 74,000 in Philadelphia and its suburbs. The NWS said possible tornadoes were also reported in Perry, Bedford and Sullivan counties in central Pennsylvania.

The National Weather Service said three small tornadoes touched down in northeastern Ohio, causing minor damage, as strong storms moved across the state.

I fervently hope that the people who lost power get it restored quickly. My sympathies to everyone who's been affected.

Clean-ups after storms like this can take weeks, or months. There were so many downed trees in our town after the storm that knocked out our power last week, the town has barely managed to make a dent in removing them all.

If you're thinking it sure seems like we're getting more intense storms than we used to in the US, well, you're right:


This is the new normal.

[Chart via.]