For the second day in a row, a vast expanse of the East Coast faced a tornado threat Wednesday in the wake of Tropical Depression Fred, which left more than 15 million people in the Mid-Atlantic under a storm. tornado lookout until 8 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the National Weather Service.
The watch extended to parts of four states – Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania – and included Washington, D.C.
The Weather Service said isolated wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour were possible in the region, in addition to marble-sized hail.
On Tuesday evening, the Weather Service issued at least 10 tornado warnings in North and South Carolina, meaning a tornado was spotted or picked up on the radar. Tornadoes were reported Tuesday in Edgefield, SC, and in Iredell County, NC, about 50 miles north of Charlotte.
There were no immediate reports of injuries related to those tornadoes, but the death of a Florida man on Monday was attributed to Fred. The News Herald of Panama City, Florida, reported that the man lost control of his car while driving through high water. Other parts of the southeast also experienced severe flooding in the wake of the storm.
In Haywood County, NC, west of Asheville, emergency services said at least 30 people were missing after flash flooding in the area on Tuesday.
Greg Christopher, the county sheriff, urged residents to stay home while the search continued.
“Please do not drive through standing water and please stay out of the affected communities,” he said.
