4 dead in Pennsylvania as severe weather hits from Texas to New York

(PITTSBURGH) -- Four people have died in Pennsylvania as severe storms hammered much of the U.S. on Tuesday night.

A long-lived destructive thunderstorm wind event, known as a derecho, traveled more than 500 miles from eastern Indiana through central Pennsylvania on Tuesday afternoon. Wind gusts reached 80 mph as the more than 60-mile-wide storm complex knocked down trees and power lines along its destructive path.

In Franklin Township in eastern Pennsylvania, high winds knocked down a tree, which then fell onto a car, killing a passenger inside, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

In State College in central Pennsylvania, a 22-year-old man was fatally electrocuted when he was putting out a mulch fire caused by live wires knocked down in the storm, officials said.

Two other victims died in the Pittsburgh area in western Pennsylvania, according to Allegheny County officials.

Many schools in western and central Pennsylvania are running on a delay or have canceled classes Wednesday as more than 400,000 customers in the state remain without power.

The four fatalities came as severe weather hammered much of the country from Texas to New York on Tuesday night.

Wind gusts climbed over 100 mph in Texas and neared 90 mph in Missouri.

Three confirmed tornadoes struck Oklahoma and Missouri, uprooting large trees, damaging buildings and destroying roofs.

The severe weather threat continues on Wednesday, impacting Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

A tornado watch has been issued for parts of northeast Texas, eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph and scattered, large hail are also possible.

More than 600 flights are canceled in the U.S. on Wednesday, with Dallas' two airports hit the hardest.

Life-threatening flash flooding is also a major threat Wednesday in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas.

One to 5 inches of rain is possible Wednesday from Fort Worth, Texas, to Fort Smith, Arkansas, and more than 6 inches is possible in parts of southeast Oklahoma.

This comes after 2 to 5 inches of rain fell Tuesday from north Texas to Oklahoma City to Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the last week, this area has seen 800% of its normal rainfall for this time of year -- so adding more rain on top of that will easily spark flash flooding. Oklahoma City is expected to break its record for wettest April ever on Wednesday.

On Thursday, there’s a chance for severe storms bringing damaging winds and hail from San Antonio to Buffalo, New York.

By Saturday, the system will be much less severe, but light rain is expected from the Gulf to the Northeast.

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