Tornadoes Are Reported in Kentucky as Storms Sweep Across U.S.

Hundreds of tornado, flash flood and thunderstorm warnings were issued across the Northeast on Tuesday night, putting millions of people from Kentucky to New England at risk as a sprawling weather system delivered a violent combination of heavy rain and strong winds.

The National Weather Service issued its first tornado watch for New York City since September 2021, though it said the threat had elapsed by Tuesday evening. Brief tornado warnings also had emergency officials and residents on edge in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia on Tuesday.

The Weather Service said that the severe weather and flash flood threat in New York City had ended on Tuesday night, but that a high risk of rip currents remained until Thursday.

Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled at airports in New York City, Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., according to the tracking website FlightAware. The Federal Aviation Administration had issued ground stops at those airports at 6 p.m. because of the storms.

There were reports of tornadoes and flash flooding causing damage and road closures in Kentucky and West Virginia. Gov. Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia declared an emergency late Tuesday in 55 counties affected by the storms. In a social media post early Wednesday, he said that about 300 National Guard members would be deployed to support the response.

In an area near West Virginia’s border with Pennsylvania, firefighters spent hours on Tuesday night pulling people from flooded homes and cars, including a family whose camper van had begun floating away, said the Warren District Volunteer Fire Department.

In Kentucky, the storm damaged at least 12 residential buildings, blew off roofs, downed power lines and toppled trees before it “moved out completely” by 6:30 p.m., said Blake Schroerlucke, deputy director of Grayson County Emergency Management. Three people were evacuated and two were injured, he said.

Brief tornadoes were reported in Northern New Jersey, said Evan Bentley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. Earlier in the afternoon, tornado sirens in Essex County had sent residents into their basements for shelter. There were no immediate reports of damage in the state. Mr. Bentley said the storm’s peak would pass by 10 p.m. Eastern.

The Weather Service advised residents in Baltimore to remain alert for possible tornadoes. Tornado warnings were in effect until midnight for west central Virginia and southeast Maryland.

A watch means the elements are in place for tornadoes to develop. A warning is more urgent, and it means that a tornado, flood or other hazard is currently taking place, or is about to, and that people should seek shelter.

Mack Liederman contributed reporting.