A tornado watch is in effect for 49 Georgia counties until 11 p.m. tonight, stretching from the Atlanta suburbs through central Georgia and down into the southwest corner of the state.
What’s happening: The watch covers some of Georgia’s largest cities, including Atlanta, Macon, Columbus, Warner Robins, Albany, Marietta, Lawrenceville, Newnan, Griffin, Cordele, and Americus. A tornado watch means conditions are right for tornadoes to form — it does not mean one has been confirmed.
Active severe thunderstorm warnings: Several counties are under severe thunderstorm warnings expiring at 5:45 p.m., with radar showing wind gusts capable of reaching 60 mph:
- Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, and Warren counties, with storms moving east at 35 mph. Swainsboro, Louisville, Warrenton, Gibson, Wrens, Wadley, and Twin City are in the path.
- Columbia, Lincoln, and McDuffie counties, with storms moving east at 40 mph. Evans, Thomson, Lincolnton, and Appling are affected. Drivers on Interstate 20 between mile markers 167 and 185 should use caution.
- Burke, Columbia, McDuffie, and Richmond counties, with storms moving northeast at 50 mph. Augusta, Waynesboro, Grovetown, Martinez, Fort Gordon, Hephzibah, Harlem, Sardis, and Midville are in the path. Interstate 20 between mile markers 181 and 201 and Interstate 520 between mile markers 1 and 15 are affected.
Active weather statements: Pierce, Brantley, and northern Ware counties are under a special weather statement expiring at 5:45 p.m. A strong thunderstorm is producing wind gusts around 40 mph and heavy lightning near Blackshear and Nahunta. Elbert County is also under a statement expiring at 5:45 p.m., with gusts up to 40 mph near Elberton. Anyone on or near Lakes Russell and Strom Thurmond should get out of the water immediately.
Flood watch: A flood watch runs through 6 a.m. Friday for roughly 60 counties across central, north central, northeast, northwest, and west central Georgia. Forecasters expect 2 to 4 inches of rain across the region, with some areas seeing 5 inches or more. Multiple rounds of rain are expected through Friday evening. Rivers, creeks, streams, urban areas, and low-lying spots face the greatest risk of flooding.
Wind advisory: Starting at 6 p.m. tonight and running through 8 a.m. Friday, a wind advisory covers a large portion of the state, including many of the same counties under the tornado watch. Southwest winds of 15 to 20 mph are expected, with gusts up to 35 mph. Unsecured objects may blow around, tree limbs could come down, and high-profile vehicles will face difficult driving conditions.
Heat advisory: Residents in Brantley, southern Ware, Glynn, Camden, and Charlton counties in southeast Georgia are under a heat advisory until 7 p.m. tonight. Heat index values could reach 110 degrees. Stay inside with air conditioning, drink water, and avoid being outdoors during peak heat.
What this means for you: Anyone in the 49-county tornado watch area should stay aware of changing conditions and be ready to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building if a tornado warning is issued for their area. Drivers on I-20 and I-520 near Augusta should use extra caution right now due to active severe thunderstorm warnings.
The path forward: The tornado watch runs until 11 p.m. tonight. The flood watch runs through 6 a.m. Friday, and the wind advisory runs through 8 a.m. Friday. More rounds of rain are expected through Friday evening, and residents should keep checking local forecasts.
I wonder which Biblical plague I’ll be experiencing next week. Knowing Georgia’s weather, I’m betting on hail.
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B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
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