Falling trees kill 4 people as storms slam New York, Pennsylvania and Northeast

At least four people were killed by falling trees in separate incidents in New York, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire on Wednesday and Thursday, as treacherous storms rolled in from the Midwest and pummeled the Northeast with heavy rain and powerful winds. Three victims were inside vehicles during the fatal incidents.

One woman died in New York's Westchester County as winds gusting past 50 mph uprooted a tree that crashed into her car along the Route 128 state highway, near the hamlet of Armonk by the Connecticut border, CBS New York reported. She was less than a mile from her home when she was killed.

She was later identified as Cathy Tusiani, 50. She is survived by her husband Michael, a senior vice president with the New York Yankees, and two daughters. 

Several large trees fell in and around the New York City metropolitan area Wednesday, including one that toppled over in Central Park and another that took down power lines and wrecked parked cars when it collapsed overnight in a far-northern Manhattan neighborhood.

Two more people died in Pennsylvania on Wednesday after trees collapsed from strong winds. In Aston, a township about 25 miles from Philadelphia, one person died at around 6:30 p.m. when a tree fell onto their car, according to CBS Philadelphia. In a separate statement to CBS News on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Delaware County, which includes Aston, confirmed the fatality.

"We do not have a name or any other additional information," the spokesperson said.

A third person died in the suburb of Collegeville, CBS Philadelphia reported. The 82-year-old woman, identified by police as Mary Baker, was in a car stopped at an intersection when a tree uprooted and smashed into the vehicle. The woman was taken to a hospital in nearby Phoenixville, where she died, according to the station.

As relentless winds blew through the Northeast on Wednesday night, residents in Collegeville told CBS Philadelphia that they were concerned about the possible dangers of large foliage coming down, with one person saying they took down a tree in their own yard last week as a precaution. 

In Derry, New Hampshire, a woman was killed Thursday morning, when authorities believe a tree fell on her home and caused a 200-pound propane tank to explode, CBS Boston reported. The woman's 11-year-old granddaughter was burned in the explosion, but she was able to run out of the house and was taken to a hospital in Boston for treatment, according to CBS Boston.

This week's severe weather knocked out power lines and toppled trees across the Northeast, bringing flooding to some areas while dumping a rare layer of spring snow onto others. Hundreds of thousands were without power Thursday night in New Hampshire and Maine, according to poweroutage.us. An advisory issued by meteorologists at the Storm Prediction Center forecast that "the heaviest snowfall will come to an end" Thursday night through New England, but certain places may still get between 4 and 8 inches of snow over the next few days.

Parts of Massachusetts on Thursday faced winds up to 60 mph. Large waves also caused flooding and property damage along the state's coast. 

The storm careened into the Northeast after first lashing communities over a lengthy path through the Midwest, Ohio Valley and Southeast earlier in the week, causing suspected tornadoes in a few instances that left destruction in their wake. Authorities across various states hit by the storm reported relatively few injuries, even in areas where infrastructure was seriously damaged. One presumed death tied to severe weather was reported in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Monday, as storms caused flooding that swept one woman away.

—Kristina Rex contributed reporting.

In:
• Pennsylvania
• National Weather Service
• Thunderstorm
• Severe Weather
• New York

Emily Mae Czachor

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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