Severe weather disrupts US Fourth of July travel plans

Thunderclouds have loomed over Manhattan, and bad weather has hit the east coast. Credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

Travel chaos affects thousands of Americans as severe weather derails Fourth of July celebrations across the United States.

More than 100 million Americans are at risk from extreme weather: storms threaten the east of the country, while millions in the south and west suffer from extreme heat.

Storms will be active over much of the east and south. Forecasters forecast Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday evening.

Areas from New York to eastern Arkansas and northeast Louisiana are expected to be affected. Some thunderstorms can become severe with heavy rainfall, high winds and hail.

According to monitoring website FlightAware, about 5,000 flights within, to and from the US were delayed or canceled on Monday.

United Airlines was one of the airlines most affected, with more than 300 flights delayed according to the data.

The outages were due to severe storms hitting the east coast, with heavy hail and high winds affecting areas from New Jersey to New Jersey. South Carolina.

A severe storm hit the New York suburbs on Monday evening, knocking down trees and cutting power lines, leaving residents in the dark.

One resident told CBS the hail was «probably the size of a dime,» and another said, «I've never seen such a wind.»

Scattered severe thunderstorms are also forecast over the central Great Plains and the National Weather Service said the Upper Midwest late Tuesday afternoon.

Traffic jams in Chicago, like people Get out of town on Independence Day. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Strong winds from Kansas to Nebraska could pose a threat to Independence Day fireworks.

At the same time, heat is expected to continue in the southern states.

On. Temperatures hit 111 degrees in Phoenix, Arizona on Monday and 118 degrees in Death Valley, California.

More than 15,708 flights within, to and from the United States were delayed over the weekend, while 906 flights were detained. canceled, FlightAware said.

In a letter to employees Saturday, United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby said the thunderstorms at the airline's largest hub in Newark, New Jersey, have created an «enhanced limited work environment.» .

The situation was «one of the toughest operational weeks I've experienced in my entire career,» Mr. Kirby said.

The airline chief apologized on Friday passengers who interfere with work. after this became known, he chartered a private jet to fly from New York State to Colorado.

United said it was compensating customers hardest hit by the chaos with 30,000 frequent flyer miles .