FIVE PEOPLE HAVE been confirmed to have died after severe storms struck the eastern United States.
Two young people were killed in New Jersey when a tree fell on their tent at a park and a man was killed in Maryland when a tree fell onto his car, according to the AP. Two other people were killed in Virginia.
Thousands have been left without electricity and air conditioning as temperatures are set to soar in some areas to over 4o° today.
The US National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings for parts of several states and says that conditions are ripe for “dangerously hot conditions” throughout areas in the east including the District of Columbia, parts of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky and South Carolina.
“The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will create a dangerous situation in which heat illnesses are likely,” the weather service warns. “Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check in on relatives and neighbours.”
Disruptions to electricity services in the mid-Atlantic states have affected popular websites and apps Instagram, Pinterest and Netflix. The bulk of continuing disruptions are being reported in the Washington DC area.
- Additional reporting by the AP
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