NYC tornado watch
© The Weather Channel
Tornado watches were issued for much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Tuesday, part of a storm front that brought high winds and heavy rain. Power outages were reported in the Washington, D.C., area and air travel was disrupted across the region.

Major cities within the tornado watches include New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The watches also cover parts of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Wind gusts up to 70 mph are possible in those areas, the National Weather Service said in issuing the watches, some of which run through 11 p.m. ET.

Airport travel was disrupted by winds throughout the day across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, the FAA said on its flight delay website.

In Wildwood, N.J., wind gusts ripped the facade off a store, NBCNewYork.com reported. In Ridgewood, N.J., winds toppled a tree onto the roof of a home. No injuries were reported in either incident.

In Connecticut, winds gusted to 25 mph early Tuesday and could get to 50 mph by the afternoon and evening, NBCConnecticut.com reported. By afternoon, 14,000 homes and businesses were without power in the state.

Localized flooding is also a danger from parts of the Appalachians into the Northeast, weather.com reported.

The Washington, D.C., area could see 1-3 inches of rain "in the span of a few minutes," NBCWashington.com warned.

Some 28,000 homes and businesses lost power Tuesday afternoon in the Washington and Baltimore areas.

The same system on Monday caused flooding in parts of Tennessee. More than 5 inches of rain fell in Putnam County, where 8 water rescues were reported.