Millions in US without power in heat

Washington — More than 3 million people in the eastern US faced a second day of 40° temperatures without electricity on Sunday after storms ripped through the region, and the storms’ death toll was raised to 17.

It could be several days before all power outages in Washington, DC, and elsewhere are restored, officials said, and The National Weather Service said another round of thunderstorms was possible late on Sunday and early on Monday.

“Unlike a polite hurricane that gives you three days of warning, this storm gave us all the impact of a hurricane without any of the warning of a hurricane,” Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley said, after the storms late on Friday toppled massive trees onto cars and blocked roads in the nation’s capital.

The severe weather that began on Friday was blamed for 17 deaths, most from trees falling on homes and cars.

Three people were killed on Sunday in eastern North Carolina when sudden storms hit there. Meanwhile, Coast Guard officials say they have suspended the search for a man who went missing early on Saturday while boating during the storm off Maryland.

The death toll inched up as a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police said the state medical examiner concluded a traffic death on Friday was storm related.