Severe weather conditions led to the closure of US government offices in the Washington DC area as forecasters issued warnings of possible tornadoes, damaging winds and hail across the eastern US.
The fast-moving storms knocked out power to nearly 200,000 homes and businesses in Maryland and Virginia, with up to 800,000 customers affected in the southern and mid-Atlantic states. Although the nation’s capital faced heavy rain and hail, no tornadoes were reported after the National Weather Service expired.
Flight disruptions were also experienced, with outbound flights grounded at airports in New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Baltimore due to the storms. More than 2,600 flights were canceled in the United States, with 102 cancellations at Washington Reagan National Airport and 35 at Washington Dulles. Another 7,700 flights were delayed.
The US Office of Personnel Management ordered federal employees to leave by 3 p.m., and several municipal and federal services, including libraries, museums and the National Zoo, closed early.
This article is sourced from and written by AI.
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