Tornado warnings pop up in parts of the Tri-State Area. Here's the latest forecast

Severe weather has been impacting the entire region on Tuesday, with watches and warnings throughout the CBS News New York viewing area.

A tornado watch is in effect for the entire Tri-State Area until 9 p.m.  

It's a First Alert Weather Day due to the numerous threats, coupled with heavy downpours and the possibility of strong winds and flash flooding. 

The morning started off wet for communities mainly inland with temperatures in the 60s to low 70s, but the activity really kicked in just before noon. Heavy downpours plagued New York City's northern and western suburbs and tornado warnings popped up in upstate Sullivan County and in Morris and Sussex counties in New Jersey.

The First Alert Weather Team confirmed a tornado touched down in the area of Stanhope on the Morris and Sussex border, near I-80 and US 206. Trees and wires were said to be down in the area.

A possible tornado in Parsippany is being investigated.

The potential for flash flooding will remain during the late afternoon and evening hours as severe thunderstorms continue to soak the area. Several inches of rain could fall per hour, the National Weather Service said.

Flood watches, warnings issued

A flood watch is in place from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 2 a.m. Wednesday for New York City, most of New Jersey, New York's northern suburbs and some parts of Connecticut.

These storms may contain damaging winds, large hail and, at times, torrential downpours.

NYC gears up for severe weather

MTA officials said they cleared storm drains, checked emergency generators and had pumps and debris trains ready to assist the transit system.

"We're pumping water out of the system, but sometimes it has nowhere to go," MTA CEO and Chairman Janno Lieber said. "We always try to keep running; that's our goal even when the weather hits hard."

The New York City Emergency Management Department issued a weather alert and activated the city's Flash Flood Emergency Plan. 

"This proactive approach includes pre-storm actions such as targeted inspection and clearing of catch basins in flood-prone areas," a news release stated.   

Transportation officials announced a ban on empty tractor-trailers and tandem trucks on all MTA bridges from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. due to high winds. 

New York area airports are also being impacted by the weather. There were more than 180 delays and more than 200 cancellations at Newark, JFK and LaGuardia as of noon. 

Weekend weather looking good

Once the wet weather passes, the rest of the week looks dry with lower humidity. Temperature-wise, highs will generally be in the lower 80s this week, which is below average for late July.  

Clouds will gradually increase at night, but we stay dry. Lows will be in the 60s in the suburbs to around 70 in the city.