Thousands of US flights cancelled or delayed and several states under tornado watch

Severe storms have been hitting the eastern US, with a risk of tornadoes in several states and thousands of flights cancelled or delayed.

The US National Weather Service (NWS) has around 10 states under a tornado watch as of Monday, as heavy snow continued to fall further inland across the Upper Midwest and upper Great Lakes region. Sky's US partner network NBC News reports that the mid-Atlantic - specifically from northern South Carolina to southern Maryland - is at risk of winds of more than 75mph and tornadoes.

The outlet also reports that more than 120 million people from the Mississippi Valley into New England are under wind alerts. Another 60 million, from northern Florida to New York state, are at risk from severe storms capable of destructive winds and numerous tornadoes.

Thousands of flights cancelled The US government ordered federal employees in the Washington area to leave their offices by 2pm eastern time (7pm in the UK) because of the risks from high winds and severe thunderstorms. Elsewhere, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told flights to remain on the ground at Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia and Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina but the order was later lifted.

The agency added that it was delaying flights at New York's LaGuardia and JFK airports, as well as at Houston Bush in Texas and Newark in New Jersey, due to weather issues. According to Reuters, more than 10,000 flights have been cancelled or delayed as of Monday afternoon due to weather.

Energy companies from New York to Tennessee have put workers on standby to respond to repairs from downed power lines. New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani also warned on X that wind gusts could reach as much as 55mph in the area.

Read more from Sky News:Nursery worker who raped and abused toddlers jailedIran official: US boots on the ground would be 'reckless' The US also saw record-breaking snowfall toward the start of the year, with a blizzard in January leaving more than 810,000 homes without power, and thousands of flights cancelled. According to the NWS, at least 180 million people in 37 states - more than half America's population - were affected..