United States

By Jillian MacMath, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

June 22, 2012; 7:54 PM

Share |

"Crazy thunderstorm made the city vanish. Look at the water streaming off the bridge!" tweeted user @jasonsantamaria this afternoon.

Severe storms will spread across the northeast this afternoon and into this evening as cooler air clashes with the heat and humidity. Locally powerful thunderstorms are expected along the I-95 corridor from Richmond to Washington, D.C., and in Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, New York City, Hartford, Providence and Boston.

Storms are not expected to be severe in every neighborhood but may bring a brief period of gusty winds and blinding downpours to many locations. Some locations may see downed trees, power outages, lightning strikes, urban flooding and hail.

For the full story, read Heat to Break with a Bang in NYC, Philly and DC. Check back here as we live blog throughout the afternoon and evening.

UPDATES:

6:10 p.m. EDT: Several trees down in Hartford, CT with many roads flooded and impassible.

Person reportedly struck by lightning in on Main Street in Worcester County, MA.

5:30 p.m. EDT: Two planes over turned at Wilkes-Barre Valley airport in Luzerne County, PA as a result of thunderstorm winds.

5:18 p.m. EDT: House fire reported on Camp Hill Road in Kent County, RI due to lightning.

4:20 p.m. 50 mph wind gust recorded in Northampton, PA.

4:05 p.m. Trees and wires down across much of the northern half of Sussex County, NJ.

3:58 p.m. EDT: Trees and wires down as a result of thunderstorm winds in Kelly Township in Union County, PA.

3:28 p.m. EDT: Trees and wires down in Litchfield, CT. One inch hail reported.

3:05 p.m. EDT Storms spreading across DC, Delaware, Maryland, southern New Jersey and central and eastern Virginia with hail up to 1.5" in diameter, thunderstorm wind gusts up to 75 mph and dangerous lightning through 9:00 p.m. EDT.

3:10 p.m. EDT: One person struck and injured by lightning strike at Fort Hancock in Monmouth County, NJ.

3:00 p.m. EDT: 48 mph wind gusts recorded at JFK International Airport

2:46 p.m. EDT: 1.75", or golf ball-sized hail, reported in Greenport Center in Columbia County, NY.

2:30 p.m. EDT: Flash flooding reported in Bay Terrace and Castleton Corners in Richmond county, NY.

2:24 p.m. EDT: 1.5" hail, thunderstorm wind gusts up to 75 mph, and dangerous lightning are possible through Connecticut, western Massachusetts, central and northern New Jersey, southeastern New York and Long Island, south-central and eastern Pennsylvania and coastal waters through 9:00 p.m. EDT.

2:15 p.m. EDT: 58 mph wind gust recorded midway across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Richmond County, NY.

2:00 p.m. EDT: Several reports wind damage in Susquehanna County, PA. Several trees down on roads and power lines. One report of a tree down on a convenience store. No injuries reported.

1:37 p.m. EDT: Stafford Township, NJ as several roads closed due to flash flooding. Rt 72 reduced to one lane.

1:30 p.m. EDT: Several roads closed in Manahawkin, NJ. Several cars stuck water with water nearly up to windows and occupants inside.