White House says Air Force 2 diverted due to bad weather 

The White House announced that Vice President Harris' flight was diverted on Tuesday due to bad weather as severe storms hit the United States.

“Air Force 2 was diverted from Joint Base Andrews to Dulles International Airport due to inclement weather this evening while en route from Atlanta, Georgia,” Harris spokeswoman Kirsten Allen said in a statement.

The diversion occurred as Harris was returning home from Atlanta, which along with much of the East Coast was hit by severe storms on Tuesday.

According to a person familiar with the incident, Air Force 2 encountered “wind shear.” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defines this as a change in wind speed or direction over a short distance.

Governors in at least five states declared states of emergency Tuesday as the storm brought the possibility of major flooding, thunderstorms and tornadoes to parts of the Southeast and East Coast. High wind, flood and tornado warnings have been issued across the coast, with hundreds of thousands of people already without power. PowerOutage.us.

President Biden on Tuesday urged Americans to follow the instructions of local authorities due to the severe weather.

“Countless communities across the Middle East are experiencing flooding, tornadoes, and heavy snow as a powerful winter storm moves across the country.” he wrote to x, formerly Twitter. “We urge everyone to follow the guidance of their local authorities. For more information, please visit ready.gov.”