Tornado Watch expands deeper into South Georgia through this afternoon

A tornado watch that has been hovering over South Georgia since early this morning just got bigger — and it is now going to last longer.

The Extension

The National Weather Service has expanded Tornado Watch 190 to include nine more counties in south central Georgia. The extended watch runs until 2 p.m. Thursday — four hours beyond the 10 a.m. deadline that had been set for the original watch area.

New Counties Added

The nine counties now added to the watch are Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Cook, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Tift and Turner.

Cities Now Under the Watch

The expansion brings several major south Georgia cities into the watch area, including Valdosta, Tifton, Fitzgerald, Nashville, Adel, Lakeland, Ocilla and Ashburn.

Earlier Watch Still in Effect

The original watch, issued earlier this morning, already covered 17 counties across southwest and south central Georgia — including Albany, Bainbridge, Thomasville, Moultrie and Camilla. That watch also extended into five counties in southeast Alabama and more than a dozen counties across the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region, including Leon County, home to Tallahassee.

Residents across all watch counties should stay weather-aware and be ready to take shelter quickly if a tornado warning is issued for their area.