Tornado watches in effect for huge swath of East Coast

The National Weather Service has issued tornado watches for a huge swath of the Northeast - from upstate New York to the nation's capital.

Among the areas under a tornado watch are New York City and its northern suburbs as well as upstate New York; central and eastern Pennsylvania; all of New Jersey; most of Maryland; and Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas.

A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.

The tornado watches are in effect until 5 p.m. EDT Monday.

Meanwhile, the tornado cleanup continued Sunday in northeast Nebraska and northwest Iowa as residents worked to clear the debris the storms left behind.

Officials say the storms caused significant damage to dozens of businesses and a number of rural homes as several tornadoes touched down Friday. The most severe damage was in Wayne, Neb., but storms also damaged homes near Macy, Neb., and into rural areas of northwest Iowa near Sloan.