Severe storms threaten 50 million as wildfire smoke hangs over East
The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic face tornado, hail and flood risks while smoke from Canadian and Minnesota wildfires keeps air quality in the danger zone.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
More than 50 million people across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are facing a rough weekend mix of severe storms, flash flooding threats and dirty air from wildfire smoke, CBS News reported.
The severe weather zone stretches from the Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. CBS News said cities including New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburgh and Cleveland could see damaging wind gusts, large hail, isolated tornadoes and sudden flooding.
The National Weather Center said scattered flash flooding is possible from Washington to Boston as repeated rounds of storms move in ahead of a cold front. Areas with lots of pavement and fast runoff face the highest risk, according to the forecast.
New York City emergency officials placed the city under a flood watch as thunderstorms and strong gusts were expected.
Smoke still choking the air
The storm threat comes after smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota spread across broad sections of the Midwest and Northeast this week, CBS News reported. The smoke has affected air quality as millions of people have been exposed to hazardous pollution levels.
At least 19 states have been touched by the smoke, according to CBS News. In New York City, images showed the skyline dulled by an orange haze as visibility dropped.
Conditions in the East are expected to get better as the cold front passes through, CBS News reported. That could bring some relief for fans heading to the World Cup final on Sunday, when Spain is set to play Argentina.
Sacha Kljestan, an MLS analyst and former professional soccer player, told CBS News that if rain does not help clean out the bad air, he thinks air quality could become “a concern” for the match.
Kljestan said he does not expect FIFA to move or delay the final, but he told CBS News that poor air could slow the pace of play.
Texas flood recovery continues
Farther south, CBS News reported that conditions are improving in Texas after deadly flooding, though some rivers remain high.
Central Texas saw two feet of rain fall in just a few days, according to CBS News, and cleanup and recovery work is still underway. CBS News also reported that similar storms last year killed more than 100 people.
Texas resident Kat Stafford told CBS Saturday Morning that floodwater destroyed everything inside the business where she works.
“I'm trying to dry out the main documents, papers and stuff, financial documents,” Stafford said.
Some roads remain blocked, CBS News reported, forcing the Texas National Guard to use aircraft for rescues and medical transports.
The unsettled pattern leaves parts of the country dealing with different ends of the same weather story: dangerous water in Texas, smoky skies across the East and a fresh round of severe storms from the Ohio Valley to the Atlantic corridor.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.