Two killed as severe storms rip through eastern US

At least two people died, one hit by a lightning and another by a falling tree, as a powerful storm ripped through the eastern US on Monday.

Thousands of flights were cancelled and nearly a million homes and businesses - from New York to Alabama - lost power.

Over 50 million people were under tornado and thunderstorm watches.

Power had still not been restored for almost 250,000 homes and over 1,000 flights were delayed on Tuesday morning.

Evan Christopher Kinley, a 15-year-old boy, was killed by a tree as he exited his car when he arrived at his grandparents' home during the storm in Anderson, South Carolina, the city's fire department chief told the BBC's US partner CBS News.

In Florence, Alabama, police said a 28-year-old man was struck and killed by lightning in a parking lot.

The National Weather Service says being killed by lightning is rare - only about 20 people on average are killed by lightning strikes annually in the US.

Tornado watches and warnings were posted across 10 states but only one tornado was confirmed in upstate New York.

Federal workers in Washington DC were sent home early in anticipation of the extreme weather

Severe storm spread downed trees and power lines up and down the eastern seaboard.

As of Tuesday morning, power still has not been restored for 100,000 people in North Carolina, 95,000 in Pennsylvania and 64,000 people in Maryland.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued several ground stops on Monday for airports in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Washington, DC.

Thousands of flights were disrupted and a knock-on effect was felt on Tuesday morning with over 1,000 flights delayed, according to FlightAware.

Forecasters had warned of "one of the most impactful severe weather events" and the National Weather Service issued a Level 4 out of 5 risk for the first time in decades for the Washington, DC metro area. Federal workers around the capital were sent home early in anticipation of the extreme weather but the storms were generally less severe than feared.

"Damage is not as bad or as widespread as it could have been, however, we did get a lot of rain, wind, and thunder across the D.C. region," Eileen Whelan, DC meteorologist, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.