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By James Bickerton and Daniel Orton
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The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a tornado watch for parts of five states in the southeastern United States amid forecasts of a "severe thunderstorm" in the area on Sunday.
The warning covers a large swathe of northwestern Georgia alone with parts of southern Tennessee, northwestern Florida, southern Mississippi and southern and eastern Alabama.
Why It Matters
According to its website, the NWS issues a tornado watch when "weather conditions could lead to the formation of severe storms and tornadoes."
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In this context residents are urged to "be prepared" and "know your safe location."
They should also "be ready to act quickly if a [tornado] warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching."
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What To Know
In Alabama the tornado watch remains in force until 4 a.m. CST on Sunday for the southern counties of Butler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia, Baldwin and Mobile.
For central Alabama, the watch lasts until 6 a.m. CST on Sunday covering Barbour, Clay, Elmore, Macon, Randolph, Bullock, Cleburne, Lee, Montgomery, Russell, Chambers, Coosa, Lowndes, Pike and Tallapoosa Counties.
The tornado watch is in force for the Florida counties of Bay, Gadsden, Jackson, Liberty, Washington, Calhoun, Gulf, Jefferson, Wakulla, Franklin, Holmes, Leon and Walton until 10 a.m. CST on Sunday.
In Georgia, a total of 59 counties are covered by the tornado watch until 9 a.m. EST on Sunday, while in Mississippi, watches are in place for Harrison and Jackson Counties until 4 a.m. CST.
It is NWS policy to issue a "warning," which comes with a higher degree of certainty than a "watch," when "a tornado has been spotted or indicated by weather radar, meaning a tornado is occurring or expected soon."
On Wednesday, a tornado tore across parts of southeastern Mississippi with footage from the impacted area showing damaged houses, uprooted trees and roads partially blocked by debris.
Local news outlet WDAM reported some people were trapped in their homes due to the storm and Wayne County School District canceled classes on Thursday. On Wednesday evening, the NWS urged anyone in the affected area to immediately seek shelter.
In late December, multiple tornadoes ripped through the Houston area in Texas, leaving one person dead and four injured in Brazoria County.
Tornadoes were also reported near El Campo in Wharton County and in the Crosby area of Harris County.
In November, a tornado struck near the town of Granite in southwestern Oklahoma with the NWS also warning of "golf ball" sized hail.
What People Are Saying
Early on Sunday morning on X, formerly Twitter, the NWS Atlanta branch posted: "Tornado Warning including Stockbridge GA, Conyers GA and Covington GA until 5:15 AM EST."
The NWS Tallahassee, Florida, branch wrote: "A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Alabama, Florida and Georgia until 10 AM EST."
On Saturday evening NWS office in Huntsville, Alabama, posted: "11:05 PM: Tornado warning is in effect for portions of northwest Alabama. Multiple areas of rotation are noted on radar and everyone in the warning should seek shelter! Tornadoes can rapidly form in these lines of storms so do not wait to see or hear one before seeking shelter."
What Happens Next
The NWS will continue monitoring the tornado danger to the southeastern United States, and one or more of the tornado watches could be upgraded to a tornado warning if they think a twister is imminent. Local residents are urged to keep track of NWS updates and local weather forecasts and follow any safety advice they provide.
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