Wild weather that killed at least 24 people over the long holiday weekend moved Monday afternoon to the Northeast, where more than 30 million people were under a severe thunderstorm watch.

The National Weather Service said the watch, which stretched across Philadelphia; New Jersey; New York City; Syracuse, New York; and other major metropolitan areas, was expiring late Monday night.

However, the service warned that severe thunderstorms, including lightning, large hail, strong gusts and possibly a few tornadoes were possible in the Northeast through Tuesday morning.

Rain was expected from the Gulf Coast to the Eastern Seaboard, federal forecasters said.

The storm watches capped a torrid weekend across Southern states and the Great Plains. Eight people were reported dead in Arkansas, seven in Texas, two in Oklahoma and at least five in Kentucky. The deaths were caused by weather-related incidents, including falling trees.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference Monday morning that the dead in his state included a 67-year-old woman in Mercer County, a 62-year-old woman in Hardin County, a 48-year-old woman in Hopkins County and a 34-year-old man in Jefferson County. Another person is “fighting for his life,” Beshear said.

“We had devastating storms that hit almost the entire state,” Beshear said, calling Sunday a “tragic night.”

The storms damaged some Kentucky State Police phone lines, he said, adding that 911 calls were routed to other agencies.

The weather caused massive damage to homes and businesses, but there was a bright spot, Beshear said.

By Patrick Smith, Elizabeth Chuck and Dennis Romero

NBC