Memorial Day weather: Rain along the East Coast and scorching heat in the Gulf

At least 70 million Americans were under severe weather alerts, including flooding and tornado watches, on Memorial Day.

Severe weather is expected to move into the East Coast's I-95 corridor, bringing with it damaging winds, hail and maybe even a few tornadoes.

Sunday was the most active weather day so far this year, with at least 576 severe storm reports.

There were at least 72 reported tornadoes since Friday in 12 states: Wisconsin, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, North Dakota and North Carolina.

The tornado watch continues until 8 a.m. Monday across the South, where a few tornadoes could be possible.

The National Weather Service also issued a tornado watch for portions of the District Of Columbia, central and eastern Maryland, eastern and northern Virginia, and central and eastern North Carolina until 11 p.m. Monday.

A severe thunderstorm watch was issued on Monday morning for Alabama, including Birmingham, until 9 a.m. CT, with damaging winds being the biggest threat.

Severe weather is expected on Monday afternoon to move to the East Coast and the Southeast United States. It will stretch from New York state down to Alabama, including major cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, D.C., Raleigh, Charleston, Atlanta and Montgomery.

Damaging winds and large hail will be the main threat, but a few tornadoes cannot be ruled out, especially from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, including Philadelphia, D.C., Richmond and Raleigh.

By 7 p.m. Monday evening, a line of strong storms will be impacting the Northeast, including Baltimore, Philly, New Jersey, New York City and Albany.

The threat of severe weather will wind down after 10 p.m. in the Northeast, but heavy rain will continue for parts of New England and Maine through about 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

Record heat near the Gulf on Memorial Day

Record heat has been plaguing the South from Florida to Texas for weeks now, and Sunday was no different. Record highs were tied or broken on Sunday in the Gulf states. Del Rio, Texas, hit a record 112 degrees, while Abilene, Texas, tied its record of 102 degrees.

In Florida, West Palm Beach hit 98 degrees, while both Fort Lauderdale and Miami hit 96 degrees.

More record heat was expected Monday, with an excessive heat warning issued for Houston for the first time in May. The city might reach a high of 98 degrees on Monday, although the city would feel closer to 114, according to the heat index.

A heat advisory was issued for New Orleans, Louisiana, which could feel like 108 degrees, although the actual temperature is expected at about 93 degrees. Melbourne, Florida, is expected to approach 95 degrees.