East Cleans Up in Wake of Violent Storms

Residents of the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states worked Friday to repair damage from powerful rains, winds and tornadoes, while freezing temperatures dipped into the 20s in the Midwest and Appalachians.

The cold weather followed a strong front that lashed the Middle Atlantic states Thursday evening, whipping up as many as five tornadoes near Washington, D.C., and cutting off power to about 75,000 customers.

The storm system then pushed into New England with winds of near-hurricane strength that knocked down more trees and power lines. Officials were checking reports of two small tornadoes in Rhode Island’s beach areas, one of which leveled an empty motel.

Jeff Kotkin, a spokesman for Northeast Utilities, said that, at the height of the storm, about 75,000 customers in Connecticut and western Massachusetts had lost their electricity because of fallen tree limbs.

The cold temperatures extended into the Midwest as frost covered higher elevations early Friday, and forecasters declared this year’s growing season over in the Appalachians, where temperatures dipped into the 20s.

Skies were clear and temperatures in the 20s were reported near Chicago.

In the Washington, D.C., area, trees still blocked roads Friday morning and some school buses were forced to cancel morning runs.

As many as five tornadoes were reported within a 50-mile radius of Washington, with the most serious damage caused by twisters in Remington, Va., and Baltimore County, authorities said.

Winds gusted to 71 m.p.h. in Washington, toppling trees and power lines, sinking several boats at Washington Harbor and blowing windsurfers onto the rocks in the Potomac River, the National Weather Service said. No serious injuries were reported.

A tornado hit Remington, littering Main Street with store roofs and broken glass, authorities said.

Leilani Triplett said she watched as the twister churned past the Remington Video store where she worked. “You should have seen it. It was awful. Everything went flying,” she said.

To the north, eight people were hospitalized and one house was leveled in New Jersey when a storm hit Montgomery Township in Somerset Thursday night.

“What happened out there was devastating. We used all available manpower, all Fire Department manpower and called in a neighboring fire department,” police Lt. Kenneth Cruz said.