Tornado watch alerts have been issued to five states in the Deep South by the National Weather Service (NWS), which—at the time of publishing—are all in place until Monday morning.
States Under Tornado Watch
The NWS has issued tornado watch alerts for Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee and Georgia.
According to the agency, “weather conditions could lead to the formation of severe storms and tornadoes,” and communities in affected areas should be prepared and “be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued.”
Mississippi
In east-central Mississippi, Clarke County is under a tornado watch, as is Marion County and the cities of Columbia, Hattiesburg, West Hattiesburg, Laurel, Lumberton and Purvis in south-central Mississippi.
In the southeastern parts of the state, the counties of Forrest, Jones and Lamar are under a tornado watch, and tornado watches have been issued to parts of southern Mississippi, including the counties of Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, Pike and Walthall, as well as the following cities:
- Bay St. Louis
- Waveland
- Diamondhead
- Gulfport
- Ocean Springs
- Pascagoula
- Moss Point
- Gautier
- Picayune
- McComb
- McNeil
- Tylertown
- St. Martin
Alabama
In Alabama, tornado watches are in effect for the northeastern part of the state, specifically the counties of DeKalb, Jackson and Marshall, and the cities of Albertville, Arab, Boaz, Fort Payne, Guntersville, Rainsville and Scottsboro.
The counties of Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Dallas, Etowah, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Marengo, Perry, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega and Tuscaloosa in central Alabama are also under tornado watch, which includes the following cities:
- Birmingham
- Hoover
- Pelham
- Alabaster
- Moody
- Oneonta
- Pell City
- Columbiana
- Centreville
- Clanton
- Sylacauga
- Talladega
- Tuscaloosa
- Moundville
Louisiana
Parts of southeast Louisiana—including the counties of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington and West Baton Rouge—have been issued tornado watch alerts, which covers the following cities:
- Baton Rouge
- Addis
- Brusly
- Port Allen
- Plaquemine
- Donaldsonville
- Gonzales
- Prairieville
- Denham Springs
- Walker
- Watson
- White Castle
- Bayou Sorrel
- Montpelier
- Easleyville
- Enon
- Crossroads
- Darlington
- Dexter
- Covington
- Mandeville
- Lacombe
- Slidell
- Hammond
- Ponchatoula
- Robert
- Salem
- Franklinton
- Greensburg
- Amite
- Bogalusa
Tennessee
Middle Tennessee—including the counties of Cumberland, Fentress, Grundy, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Van Buren, Warren and White—and the following cities are under a tornado watch:
- Allardt
- Altamont
- Byrdstown
- Coalmont
- Cookeville
- Crossville
- Jamestown
- Livingston
- McMinnville
- Palmer
- Sparta
- Spencer
In eastern Tennessee, the counties of Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, Meigs, Morgan, Rhea, Sequatchie, McMinn, Monroe and Polk, along with the following cities, are also under a tornado watch:
- Archville
- Athens
- Benton
- Bullet Creek
- Clear Water
- Conasauga
- Dentville
- Etowah
- Madisonville
- Parksville
- Reliance
- Sweetwater
- Big Spring
- Brayton
- Cagle
- Cartwright
- Dunlap
- Evensville
- Grandview
- Haletown (Guild)
- High Point
- Jasper
- Lone Oak
- Martin Springs
- Melvine
- Monteagle
- Mount Crest
- Old Cumberland
- Old Washington
- Palio
- Petros
- Pikeville
- Pine Orchard
- Powells Crossroads
- South Pittsburg
- Tasso
- Whitwell
- Chattanooga
- Cleveland
- Dayton
- Spring City
Georgia
Northwest Georgia—including Catoosa, Dade, Walker and Whitfield counties and the cities of Dalton, Fort Oglethorpe, Lafayette and Trenton—are under a tornado watch. Northcentral Georgia—including the counties of Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens and the cities of Blue Ridge, Ellijay, Epworth, Dial, Hemp, Higdon, Jasper and Cohutta Wilderness—is under the same tornado watch.
Tornado watches are also in place for parts of northwestern Georgia and the counties of Bartow, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon and Murray, which include the cities of Calhoun, Cartersville, Chatsworth, Rome, Summerville and Colwell.
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