4 dead in severe Northeastern storm; hundreds of thousands without power

A severe storm traveled up the East Coast over the weekend, leaving at least four people dead and hundreds of thousands without power.

Heavy rain drenched communities along the coast Sunday, bringing high winds and flooding to some areas. Communities saw 3-5 inches of rain, and some in the Northeast were moved to close schools Tuesday.

There are more than 430,000 customers in Maine alone without power as of Tuesday morning, according to poweroutage.us. Utility crews are working to restore power to hundreds of thousands in Maine, The Associated Press reported.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) announced she would delay the opening of state offices Tuesday to allow for crews to restore power and clean up streets.

“I strongly urge all Maine people to stay off the road if possible,” Mills said in a statement. “If you must travel, please exercise caution and be sure to provide plenty of room for emergency first responders and for crews that are restoring power and clearing roadways.”

Massachusetts and Connecticut also have more than 220,000 customers without power combined.

Shelters have been set up in Vermont after four people were rescued after the state experienced flooding. The Green Mountain State was still recovering from major flooding in July, and the most recent storm closed some roads in the state and impacted some of downtown Montpelier.

High winds in Hingham, Mass., caused a tree to fall on a trailer, killing an 89-year-old man, authorities said. Part of a tree fell and killed another man who was removing debris from his roof, Windham, Maine, police said.

A man from Lancaster County, Pa., was pronounced dead after he was found submerged in a vehicle Monday morning, per the AP.

A driver was killed in Catskill, N.Y., after the vehicle was swept into the Catskill Creek after going around a barricade on a flooded road, the Times Union reported.  

Another person died in South Carolina after their vehicle flooded on a road in a gated community, the AP reported.

Two storms were expected to join forces over the weekend and travel from the south and the west up the east coast over the weekend.

While flooding was worst in the Northeast, The Weather Center reported the heaviest rain fell over parts of northeastern South Carolina on Sunday. Two rain gauges in McClellanville and Georgetown picked up about 15 inches of rainfall.

The Associated Press contributed.