5 dead, hundreds of flights affected by Northeast storms, flooding

Jul 17, 2023

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Ben Burke (Producer)

Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™

For the second time in a week, storms in the Northeast led to deadly flooding and travel headaches. According to FlightAware, more than 1,700 flights within, into, or out of the United States were canceled on Sunday, July 16. Nearly 10,000 more flights were delayed. Airports with the most cancellations included:

Newark Liberty International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
LaGuardia Airport
Boston Logan International Airport

“Slow-moving t-storms will cause delays this AM into early PM in the Northeast, Midwest & Southeast,” the Federal Aviation Administration tweeted Sunday morning. “Check your flight with your airline before you head to airports in Boston, New York, Philly, DC, Southern & Central Florida, Atlanta, & Charlotte.”

The Northeast flight cancellations due to storms came a day after flash flooding claimed at least five lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Torrential rains occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, sweeping away several cars. In addition to the five dead, two children, a 9-month-old boy and his 2-year-old sister remained missing heading into Monday, July 17.

“I want Bucks County to know that we are here with you. We are praying with you. And we will continue to do everything in our power to lift you up,” Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) said Sunday. “We have your backs and we will be here as long as it takes to make sure Bucks County gets back up on its feet.”

In addition to the Pennsylvania flooding, other parts of the Northeast experienced heavy rain, storms and power outages, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York.

“This is possibly our new normal. This is the kind of weather that even what should normally be a beautiful beach going Sunday in July can turn into a devastating catastrophe because of Mother Nature. And so we’re still in recovery phase from last week’s storms,” Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) said Sunday. “We’ve already estimated over $50 million worth of damage from that two day event just last week. And as I said, I surveyed the damage personally. It is, it has left so many business owners and families and homeowners just in a state of shock.”

Tags: Atlanta, Boston, Boston Logan International Airport, Charlotte, Connecticut, Federal Aviation Administration, flooding, Florida, JFK airport, Josh Shapiro, Kathy Hochul, LaGuardia Airport, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Newark Liberty International Airport, Northeast, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Vermont

AIRPORTS ACROSS THE U.S. ARE IN DISARRAY —
PLAYING CATCH UP AFTER MORE THAN 10 THOUSAND FLIGHTS WERE DISRUPTED LARGELY BY SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THE NORTHEAST.
MORE THAN 25 HUNDRED FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN CANCELED AND NEARLY EIGHT THOUSAND MORE DELAYED ACCORDING TO FLIGHT TRACKING DATA.
AIRLINE “JETBLUE” HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED —
27 PERCENT OF ITS FLIGHTS CANCELED AND 43 PERCENT OF THEM DELAYED.
THE F-A-A RELEASED A STATEMENT —
SAYING SLOW-MOVING THUNDERSTORMS” WERE TO BLAME.

THOSE SEVERE STORMS CREATED DEADLY FLOOD WATERS IN PENNSYLVANIA OVER THE WEEKEND.
IN BUCKS COUNTY, JUST OUTSIDE PHILADELPHIA–
**ELEVEN CARS WERE SURROUNDED BY FAST-MOVING — FIVE-FEET DEEP WATER.
**FIVE PEOPLE DIED GETTING CAUGHT IN FLASH FLOODING.
AS OF SUNDAY EVENING — A BABY AND A TWO-YEAR OLD TODDLER ARE **MISSING —
THEIR MOTHER BEING ONE OF THE VICTIMS FOUND ON THE FLOODED ROADWAY.
OVER THE LAST MONTH — PARTS OF THE NORTH-EAST HAVE SEEN DOUBLE — OR EVEN TRIPLE — THEIR AVERAGE RAINFALL.
LAST WEEK IT WAS VERMONT, NEW YORK, AND MASSACHUSETTS UNDER WATER.
“And as I said before, this is possibly our new normal. This is the kind of weather that even what should normally be a beautiful beach going Sunday in July can turn into a devastating catastrophe because of Mother Nature. And so we’re still in recovery phase from last week’s storms.”