Strong Winds and Rain Affecting the Northeast

A strong storm system Wednesday brought rain and winds that shut down the Statue of Liberty and delayed flights for more than four hours at airports in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Flight times were almost back to normal by late Wednesday. The wind snapped a large lighted Christmas tree at the South Street Seaport a few blocks from the Brooklyn Bridge. No injuries were reported. The Statue of Liberty was forced to close at 2 p.m. because of inclement weather. Weather permitting, the venue was expected to reopen today. Heavy rain triggered flooding in some Eastern states a day after the system raked the Southeast.  The storm system brought flooding and snow to areas around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, slowing commuters and prompting some schools to open late. There was a state of emergency in Butler County, Pennsylvania, until at least this morning because of the flooding due to storms from late Tuesday and Wednesday. During much of the day, ground stops were in effect for New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports because of low clouds and heavy rain, according to CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris. Flight delays of more than four hours had been reported at the Newark, New Jersey, airport, and delays of more than an hour were reported at airports in Teterboro, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One person was killed and a second injured Wednesday when high winds caused a tree to fall on a car with two people in it in West Milford, New Jersey, according to the National Weather Service in Upton, New York. On Wednesday, the storm system set its sights on much of the Eastern Seaboard. Severe thunderstorms were possible from the Florida Panhandle north to Maryland, and flash flooding was possible from northern Georgia into Vermont and New Hampshire, according to the National Weather Service. Also Wednesday, the National Weather Service confirmed that it was a tornado, packing winds of 130 mph, that tore through suburban Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, damaging more than 50 homes and a businesses.