Storms flatten buildings

Photo: The Canadian Press

Severe storm damage to homes is seen on Plymouth Springmill Road just south of the intersection of Ohio Route 96 in Shelby, Ohio, Sunday, April 14, 2019.

Much of the eastern Great Lakes and mid-Atlantic have woken up to damaged buildings, closed schools, and dark homes and businesses after powerful storms that spawned at least one tornado.

The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down Sunday evening in Shelby, Ohio, about 90 miles (145 kilometres) southwest of Cleveland. A half-dozen homes were damaged and at least six people were injured.

The weather service says high winds in Pennsylvania that may have been tornadoes flattened a house and several barns and blew out windows. Toppled trees are blocking streets.

The storms collapsed a roof at a New Jersey apartment complex, disrupted rail service in the mid-Atlantic and caused airport delays.

Tens of thousands of utility customers are without power across the region.

Severe weather had also swept the South on Sunday, unleashing suspected tornadoes and flooding that killed at least eight people, injured dozens and flattened much of a Texas town.