East Coast storms cut power to thousands, trigger twister alerts Julio Cortez / AP A guard shields himself from the rain at a worksite in Newark, N.J., on Tuesday. Updated at 5:45 p.m. ET: 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. Thousands lost power and air travel was disrupted across the region. Major cities within the tornado watches included 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. Airport travel was disrupted by winds throughout the day across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, the FAA said on its flight delay website. Some 4,000 homes and businesses lost power on Long Island, the NBC station added. In Connecticut, 15,000 customers had lost power, NBCConnecticut.com reported. Some 28,000 homes and businesses lost power Tuesday afternoon in the Washington and Baltimore areas, NBCWashington.com noted. In Pennsylvania, some 11,000 customers lost power, NBCPhiladelphia.com reported.