Multiple fatalities caused by severe weather and tornadoes in the Kentucky mid-latitude region on Sunday night as the weekend of Memorial Day weekend unfolded

The greatest chance for heavy rain will be in parts of New York and New Jersey.

“Additionally, heavy rain may lead to scattered instances of flash flooding with this initial burst of thunderstorms,” the weather service added. A cold front is expected to bring another round of showers and storms in the afternoon, as well as a threat of severe weather in the evening across the Ohio Valley.

Severe thunderstorm watches were in effect Sunday for parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia — with tornadoes and hail also possible.

A large swath of the eastern U.S. is bracing for severe weather as the Memorial Day weekend comes to a close. Deadly storms over the long weekend also knocked out power to hundreds of thousands across the South and disrupted holiday travel at busy airports in the northeast.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency on X early Monday in his state. “Severe weather continues to move through the commonwealth with multiple reports of wind damage and tornadoes,” Beshear wrote.

Hundreds of thousands of residents were without power early Monday across a broad swath stretching from Texas to Virginia, according to the website poweroutage.us. Forecasters warned the greatest risk from storms will move east.

Powerful tornadoes and thunderstorms ripped through parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas late Saturday evening and Sunday morning, leaving at least 18 people dead and causing widespread damage.

In a news conference Monday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said four people were killed in four different counties after storms ripped through most of the state on Sunday. Beshear confirmed a fifth storm related death on Monday.

“It could have been much worse,” Beshear said of this weekend’s storms. The people of Kentucky are aware of the weather.

To the east of Charleston, parts of Hopkins County, Kentucky also saw damage Sunday night. In the year of 21st century, a number of communities in WESTERN Kentucky were hit by devastating tornadoes that killed 81 people.

The director of the emergency management agency in the county said that a lot of people were getting their lives back together. It was almost the same spot, the same houses and everything.

The White House said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was on the ground conducting damage assessments with state and local authorities. President Biden has directed federal agencies to provide support as needed.

Flight Aware: Flight cancellations in the U.S. had been cancelled by 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware

According to the flight-tracking website Flight Aware, more than 400 flights in the U.S. were canceled as of 5:30 p.m. Monday — and another 5,200-plus flights had been delayed. New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey were most affected by delays and cancellations.