Tornado Watch Declared For Metro Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA — A tornado watch has been declared for much of north Georgia, including metro Atlanta.

The watch, according to the National Weather Service, is in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday. A tornado watch means weather conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms, called supercells, that are capable of producing tornadoes.

Counties in the watch area include Cobb, Cherokee, DeKalb, Douglas, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Paulding and Walton.

Early Wednesday, the weather service had issued a severe weather outlook and a flash flood watch for parts of north and central Georgia.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to hit the region Wednesday morning and increase in strength and frequency into the afternoon.

"Some storms could be strong to severe, capable of damaging winds, large hail and even a few tornadoes," the National Weather Service said in its outlook.

The severe threat is expected to diminish from west to east across the area Wednesday afternoon, with widespread showers and thunderstorms across the region's far southeast counties ending this evening. An additional 1-2 inches of rainfall is expected in parts of the metro area Wednesday, leading to the flash flood watch.

Flooding in low-lying and flood-prone areas will be likely, especially in urban areas. In addition, creeks, streams and rivers may overflow their banks.

Photo courtesy National Weather Service