A violent weekend storm system has left a trail of damage stretching from the US Midwest to the Northeast. The high winds caused destruction across several states, knocked out power for tens of thousands of people and, most seriously, claimed a life in New York. Crews have since been working to clear the damage and restore electricity.
The most tragic consequence came in New York, where an 85-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on his car. The death underscored the danger posed by the powerful gusts that brought down trees and branches as the storm moved through the region.
In Connecticut, the storm produced an unusual but damaging incident when a large American flag was blown into a transmission tower. The result was a major outage that knocked out power to more than 40,000 customers, leaving homes and businesses in the dark.
The strong winds were felt well beyond the Northeast. In West Virginia, gusts blew over a tent during a college baseball game, scattering those in attendance as the storm swept through and forcing people to take cover.
In New York City, the high winds were captured tossing coolers and cushions around a rooftop pool in Brooklyn. The scenes offered a vivid illustration of just how strong the gusts were as the system passed over densely populated urban areas.
Taken together, the weekend's weather caused damage across a broad swathe of the country, from the Midwest through to the eastern seaboard. With one death confirmed and large numbers of customers left without power, attention has turned to clearing the debris and getting the lights back on across the affected states.
