Parts of Virginia Occidental and Kentucky were flooded due to streams overwhelmed by the rains and storms that lasted several hours.
Several storms overwhelmed streams and caused sudden floods in different parts of Western Virginia and Kentucky on Thursday, while a winter mixture covered trees and roads with ice and even caused “ice storms” in several states of the United States.
Residents and storm observers from various parts of Indiana, southern Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania reported having seen “ice storms” on Thursday morning, that is, frozen rain accompanied by lightning in unstable air.
In Western Virginia, a long line of thunderstorms kept the residents awake during the night, with thunder and intense rains that lasted several hours, flooded neighborhoods and caused accidents due to the accumulation of water on some interstate highways.
In numerous counties, schools delayed classes or closed on Thursday.
The fall of several centimeters of rain in Charleston caused the county authorities to activate an emergency operations center and respond to multiple rescue calls before the waters began to retreat late in the morning, they said.
Most of Virginia Occidental and several parts of eastern Kentucky remained under flood warnings until noon on Thursday.
The warning warnings in several parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia Occidental and the north of Virginia were maintained. The storm left ice -covered trees and roads before warm temperatures were expected. In very few areas there were significant power cuts, which may arise due to the accumulation of ice in trees and electrical cables.
The forecasts of several centimeters of snow caused closures and delays in dozens of school systems in New England. In Maine, more than 200 schools and businesses decided not to open or closed early. The school district of the Kennebunk area was one of the many who chose to completely close instead of risking the afternoon school buses to make a complicated trip.
“The conditions of the roads are expected to deteriorate rapidly once the snow begins, which could put students and personnel at risk if we simply decided to close early,” said the district superintendent, Terri Cooper.