Astonishing images of the moment apocalyptic 'derecho' superstorm battered New York killing two

One man was killed in Brooklyn, New York, and a woman died in Genesee, Pennsylvania

• Richard Schwartz, 61, an assistant New York State attorney general, was killed after being hit by scaffolding and bricks falling from a church steeple that was struck by lightning
• 32 million people in path of severe storm and New York City has 'unusually high risk' of tornado
• State of emergency issued after tornado touched down in Elmira, NY at 4.15pm with fires, building damage and motorists trapped in cars
• Flights delayed up to 2 hours at JFK, La Guardia and Newark airports
• Campsites evacuated in Allegany and Niagara regions

Two people were killed and more than 100,000 homes and businesses in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania were without electricity Friday morning after ferocious thunderstorms swept through the region.

A state of emergency and curfew were in effect in Elmira, New York, this morning after a suspected tornado toppled power lines and trees and hospitals were placed on disaster alert.

Only emergency vehicles allowed on the streets until 8 am while the damage was cleared, Chemung County Office of Fire and Emergency Management spokeswoman Karen Miner said.

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Frightening: Two people were killed after the storm ravaged parts of the East Coast, including New York City

Ferocious: The moment the storm moved across New York City, grounding hundreds of flights and leaving tens of thousands of residents without power

Unpredictable: Dark clouds loom over New York City as thunderstorms and torrential rain batter the U.S.'s East Coast

Skyline: The storms sent black, menacing clouds rolling across New York City on Thursday

Bolt: Lightning strikes over Manhattan yesterday evening, in the wake of a huge thunderstorm which passed through the Tri-State area

Gloomy: This dramatic image taken by photographer Ryan Brenizer shows the storm's path across Manhattan

The severe weather, which has been described as the summer's second 'derecho', claimed the lives of two people. A derecho is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.

A prosecutor with the state attorney general’s office was killed after he was hit by scaffolding and bricks that fell from a church steeple that was struck by lightning in Brooklyn, New York, according to the New York Post. 

Richard Schwartz, 61, was taken to Long Island College Hospital in Brookyn where he was pronounced dead.

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman released a statement about the tragic death. 'I send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Assistant Attorney General Richard Schwartz who was tragically killed last night as a result of the storm,' Schneiderman said in a statement. 

 

'For over 25 years, Richard served the people of New York State with integrity as an expert antitrust lawyer in the Office of the Attorney General's economic justice division. New York is a better place because of Richard's commitment to fairness and legal excellence. Richard's loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers as we mourn the untimely loss of one of our own.'

Governor Andrew Cuomo also paid tribute to Schwartz, saying: 'His commitment to placing the needs of New Yorkers above all else will be remembered and cherished. His work ethic and his passion were an inspiration to all who had the privilege of knowing him. 

'Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and colleagues with whom he worked during his many years in State service.'

A woman who was camping in Genesee, Pennsylvania, near the New York State line, was also killed when she took refuge from the storm in her car and a tree then fell on it, John Hetrick, director of emergency services for Potter County, said.

Path of destruction: Gary Dunning surveys the damage to his business after a tornado struck in Elmira, New York on Thursday

Elements: Downed power lines and trees are pictured in Elmira, New York State after a tornado hit at 4.15pm local time

Uprooted: An enormous tree is torn up by the force of a tornado which touched down in Elmira as the east coast was battered by severe weather

Aftermath: A resident cleans up the morning after the town of Elmira was hit by a tornado on July 27, 2012

Damage: A bent stop sign is pictured the morning after the town was hit by a tornado in Elmira, New York July 27, 2012

Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared an emergency for Chemung County after a tornado touched down in the city of Elmira, in north-west New York State, at 4.15pm to allow the state to mobilize state resources to assist local governments.

'This state of emergency declaration will help the state get critical resources to communities that were hit the hardest,' Cuomo said.

WHAT IS A 'DERECHO'?

A derecho is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.

It can produce destruction similar to that of tornadoes, while the damage typically is directed in one direction.

As a result, the term 'straight-line wind damage' issometimes used to describe the phenomenon.

To be classified as a derecho, the line of storms must travel at least 240 miles and include wind gusts of at least 58 mph.

In one four-block neighborhood in Elmira, most homes had trees toppled upon them, street signs were bent in half and tree trunks had debris wrapped around them. Several cars were crushed by downed trees, while one two-story brick building had most of the second story torn off in the storm.

On Friday morning, most power remained out for the city's 29,000 residents.

As the storms sent black, menacing clouds rolling across Midwest and Northeast, hail ranging from the size of a dime to a quarter fell in some areas of Pennsylvania, AccuWeather.com said.

Meteorologists said 70-mile-per-hour (113-kph) winds were reported in parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled and at least 300,000 homes suffered power cuts in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut after warnings of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, hail and hurricane-strength winds along the East Coast.  

More than 900 flights in the U.S. were grounded with LaGuardia Airport in New York the worst affected with 162 planes unable to take off.

Around 32 million people were directly in the path of the storm yesterday including those in and around New York City, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Skies darkened over Manhattan around 6pm with heavy downpours on the island and in the Bronx first, then rolling across Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn.

Crushed: A crushed automobile is seen the morning after the town was hit by a tornado in Elmira, New York July 27, 2012

Violent: Downed trees cover a car and reach across the street the morning after the town was hit by a tornado in Elmira, New York July 27, 2012

Fatal: A prosecutor with the state attorney general¿s office was killed after he was hit by scaffolding and bricks that fell from a church steeple that was struck by lightning in Brooklyn, New York

Lightning strikes the antenna on the top of the Empire State Building yesterday

Dark and stormy: Clouds rumble over New York as severe weather broke along the East Coast yesterday

Intense: The sky darkened and thunder rumbled Thursday evening as a severe thunderstorm blew through New York City

City slickers: Pedestrians rush through a torrential downpour in Times Square, Manhattan

Running in the rain: A young woman dashes through the torrential downpour in Manhattan's theater district in Times Square

Blowing a gale: Tourists laugh as high winds catch their umbrellas in the center of Times Square

Can't rain on my parade! Are Kjeldsberg-Skauby, 12, of Norway, dances in a torrential downpour

Winds of up to 60mph were being reported on the Hudson's Tappan Zee Bridge but the worst was expected to be over by 10pm.

Westchester County and parts of Connecticut were hardest hit with downed trees and damaged power lines. 

Forecasters upgraded the tri-state area to 'moderate risk' today, with New York City having 'unusually high chance' of tornadoes. 

The outbreak threatened to be as bad as the derecho which left millions without powers for days in Washington, D.C. last month.

Authorities evacuated campsites across New York State. The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation encouraged those in trailers, recreational vehicles and cabins to leave ten sites in the Allegany and Niagara regions of western New York and the Taconic and Palisades regions to the east.

Conservation officials were also advising campers in the Catskills and southern Adirondacks to seek shelter.

Threatening: Rolling storm clouds and torrential rain over Brooklyn last night

Ominous skies: Derecho looms over Long Island City as the East Coast faced severe weather

Batten down the hatches: The sky darkens over Arnot Mall in Big Flats, New York

Here it comes! The storm system can be seen on the weather map edging its way towards New York City and surrounding area

Utilities report about 10,000 customers with power outages in Steuben and Allegany counties. 

The severe weather pattern made its way across the Midwest with forecasters predicting adverse conditions in Columbus, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

Towns across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and upstate New York also reported downed trees, according to the Storm Prediction Center. 

Tornado warnings were in effect for most of New York State, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, including areas surrounding New York City. 

JFK International Airport was already redirecting flights to nearby Newark. 

Flights were currently delayed up to 90 minutes at JFK with Newark also reporting two-hour delays.

New York’s LaGuardia Airport is experiencing delays of 90 minutes. Travellers in Philadelphia were being delayed one hour

Winds of 60 miles an hour, large hail, isolated tornadoes and torrential rain was expected in the next few hours in the mid-Hudson Valley region.

Dark skies: The storm builds over New York City as residents headed for shelter

Brewing: New York City was braced this evening for the unusually high threat of a tornado

Derecho: Severe thunderstorms are predicted for Chicago and Philadelphia, with tornado watches along the Eastern Seaboard

Battered: Torrential rain hits Broome and Tioga counties in New York

EYE OF THE STORM: WHO WILL BE AFFECTED BY TONIGHT'S TEMPEST?

It is estimated that 63million people from Iowa to New England will be hit by the storm.

Thunderstorm warnings were issued in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. The storm will also effect Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut and Vermont.

There were tornado warnings for Ithica, New York and severe thunderstorm warnings for New York City.

The storm system has put a major wrench in travel plans, with up to two hour delays reported at New York airports - JFK, La Guardia and Newark.

Across New England and the Midwest, up to five inches of rain was expected.

New York City was hit by a freak storm two weeks ago which brought flash floods and booming thunderstorms. 

Subway stations were shut down as water submerged tracks leaving many commuters  stranded.

Severe thunderstorms threatened Ohio and the lower northeast while areas from the upper Great Lakes and the Mid-Mississippi Valley northeastward to southern New England were at risk for severe weather development.

Elsewhere, hot and humid conditions coupled with continued instability led to chances of showers and thunderstorms along the eastern and central Gulf Coast. 

Monsoonal moisture and daytime heating will kick up areas of showers and thunderstorms in the Central and Southern Rockies through the afternoon and evening. 

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states yesterday ranged from a morning low of 35 degrees at Stanley, Idaho to a high of 107 degrees at Olney-Noble, Illinois.

While the Eastern Seaboard and much of the Midwest is being drenched, the rest of the country is suffering a debilitating drought. Many areas of middle Georgia are suffering exceptional drought conditions.