Severe weather tears through Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana

(NEW YORK) — A line of severe thunderstorms is expected to bring damaging winds and a threat of dangerous tornadoes to the Ohio Valley.

Many schools across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana announced closures or early dismissals Tuesday ahead of the storms.

Intense, long-track tornadoes are in the forecast into Tuesday evening for Ohio to Kentucky, including the cities of Cincinnati and Louisville.

Tornado watches are in effect from northeastern Mississippi to southern Ohio. There have been numerous reports of flash flooding in eastern Ohio on Tuesday.

“Ohio really has a bull’s-eye directly on us,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told reporters earlier Tuesday. “It’s a very, very serious situation. … People just need to be very, very careful.”

On Tuesday night, a tornado watch was extended to include Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon, saying there are “reports of substantial damage to a number of structures.” He added officials are not aware of any fatalities.

Severe thunderstorms — including tornadoes and powerful wind gusts — are possible for a large swath of the country, from Columbus, Ohio; to Charleston, West Virginia; to Nashville, Tennessee; to Birmingham, Alabama; to Columbus, Georgia.

In West Virginia, power has been knocked out to more than 130,000 customers.

From Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon, at least nine tornadoes were reported across four states: three in Oklahoma, three in Kentucky, one in Missouri, one in Indiana and one in Illinois.

Meanwhile, flood watches are in effect from Indiana to New Jersey, with cities including Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia expected to be hit the hardest.

Two to 3 inches of rain has already inundated Pittsburgh, where a flash flood warning is in effect.