Tornado watch issued for metro Atlanta, 37 other Georgia counties
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for much of metro Atlanta and central Georgia, warning that conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes through 11 p.m. Thursday.
The watch includes 38 counties across central, west-central, north-central and northwest Georgia, including Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Clayton, Douglas, Fayette, Henry and Rockdale counties.
Other counties included in the watch stretch from Carroll and Paulding counties west of Atlanta to Bibb, Houston and Peach counties in central Georgia. Communities affected include Atlanta, Decatur, Marietta, Lawrenceville, Douglasville, Griffin, Newnan, Peachtree City, Macon and Warner Robins.
A tornado watch means weather conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms to develop. Residents are encouraged to closely monitor forecasts and be prepared to take shelter if a tornado warning is issued for their area.
The watch remains in effect until 11 p.m. EDT.
Ground stop issued at Atlanta Airport
A ground stop has been issued for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport due to the thunderstorms.
The Federal Aviation Administration says they estimate that ground stop to go until 4:15 p.m., though it could be extended depending on the severity of storms in the area.
Counties included in the Tornado Watch
Metro Atlanta
- Clayton
- Cobb
- DeKalb
- Douglas
- Fayette
- Fulton
- Gwinnett
- Henry
- Rockdale
Other Georgia counties
- Bibb
- Butts
- Carroll
- Chattahoochee
- Coweta
- Crawford
- Crisp
- Dooly
- Harris
- Heard
- Houston
- Lamar
- Macon
- Marion
- Meriwether
- Monroe
- Muscogee
- Paulding
- Peach
- Pike
- Schley
- Spalding
- Stewart
- Sumter
- Talbot
- Taylor
- Troup
- Upson
- Webster
CBS News Atlanta will continue monitoring weather conditions and provide updates as they become available.
Check back for updates.
