WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a third day of sweltering temperatures in much of the eastern United States, even as more than two million people endure another day without power in the aftermath of a round of severe summer storms.
The outages extend from North Carolina to New Jersey and as far west as Illinois. Utility officials say the power will probably be out for several more days for some people.
Since Friday, severe weather has been blamed for at least 18 deaths -- most from trees falling on homes and cars.
Commuters who were back on the roads this morning in the Washington, DC area were worried about delays caused by downed trees and darkened stoplights. But with many federal workers given the option of staying home, traffic was lighter than normal in many places.
Officials say there are still more than 400 signal outages today in Maryland -- most of them just outside the nation's capital.
On one street in Falls Church, Va., downed trees were blocking the road on either side. Neighbors used chain saws to cut a path on one side.
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APPHOTO VALYD104: A Lynchburg City worker ties power lines above a traffic signal at Oakley and Memorial Avenues, July 1, 2012. Two days after storms tore across the eastern U.S., power outages were forcing people to get creative to stay cool in dangerously hot weather. Temperatures approached 100 degrees in many storm-stricken areas, and utility officials said the power will likely be out for several more days. (AP Photo/The News & Advance, Parker Michels-Boyce) (1 Jul 2012)
<<APPHOTO VALYD104 (07/01/12)>>
APPHOTO NCWIL101: Melinda Webb gestures toward the trees that fell in her mother's yard on Sunday July 1, 201, after severe storms rolled through Elm City, N.C. Intense storms fueled by temperatures exceeding 100 degrees for a third straight day are leaving thousands in North Carolina without power, or access to air conditioning. (AP Photo/The Wilson Times, Brad Coville) (1 Jul 2012)
<<APPHOTO NCWIL101 (07/01/12)>>
