Cleanup Begins After Severe Storms Tear Through Eastern U.S.

Communities from Tennessee to New York were clearing debris on Tuesday, a day after a wide-ranging storm system that tore through the Eastern United States killed at least two people, left more than a million homes and businesses without power and grounded hundreds of flights.

Though power had largely been restored for many who were left in the dark on Monday, more than 240,000 customers were still without electricity as of Tuesday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks outages across the United States.

By Tuesday afternoon, while dozens of flights across the Eastern U.S. had been delayed or canceled, airlines appeared to have largely recovered from the weather-related travel mess with far fewer delays and cancellations.

The storm system continued pushing northeast on Tuesday, bringing heavy rain that prompted flash flood warnings in portions of New Hampshire and Maine.

In Massachusetts, storms on Tuesday flooded roadways, stranding vehicles and closing some streets, according to the state’s transportation department. The National Weather Service said that a tornado had been confirmed around 11:30 a.m. in Mattapoisett, Mass., about 50 miles southeast of Boston. The tornado’s strength and the extent of the damage as unclear.

The states with the most lingering power failures on Tuesday included Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia and Tennessee, where strong winds toppled several trees and knocked down power lines in Knox County, Tenn.

About 400 people in the county were displaced, most of them in one apartment building were winds blew out windows and damaged the roof, officials there said.

Most of the damage and clean up efforts were focused on clearing trees and power lines out of the roads, said Glenn Jacobs, mayor of Knox County.

“It was very spotty,” Mr. Jacobs said of the damage. “We had areas that got hit very hard, but then we’d drive 50 feet away and there was nothing.”

Storms also caused damage in Carroll County, Md., where felled electric poles left more than 30 vehicles trapped on Monday night. No injuries were reported.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland said that damage from Monday night was “significant.”

“This will take time to fix,” Governor Moore said.

Aruna Miller, the lieutenant governor, said at the news conference that the storms caused “some of the worst electrical damage our state has seen in years,” adding that utility crews were able to restore power to some homes and business late Monday. More than 46,000 customers across Maryland were still without power on Tuesday, according to poweroutage.us.

By Tuesday afternoon, while dozens of flights across the Eastern U.S. had been delayed or canceled, airlines appeared to have largely recovered from Monday’s travel mess with far fewer delays and cancellations.

Several states across the South, including Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, faced a slight risk for severe weather on Tuesday, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Another chance for severe storms on Tuesday centered around northeast Colorado along with portions of Nebraska and Kansas, forecasters said.