3 weeks ago
A tornado watch has been issued for sections of Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama because of severe storms. Heavy rain, gusty winds, and potential tornadoes may bring severe flooding and damage.
A car drives in the Tahoe-Donner neighborhood after an overnight winter storm in Truckee, California on February 14, 2025. (San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
UPDATED: Feb 16, 2025 20:51 IST
A tornado watch has been issued by the Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center for parts of five U.S. states on Sunday. It comes after the forecast of severe thunderstorms in the area. The storm will affect a large part of northwestern Georgia, southern Tennessee, northwestern Florida, southern Mississippi, and southeastern Alabama. According to the NWS website, the weather conditions could trigger the formation of storms and tornadoes.
Rescue teams have been deployed in the heavy rainfall-affected area. The extreme weather conditions could also bring life-threatening floods. Multiple videos from the area show vehicles submerged in floodwaters and trees toppled. Residents are urged to be prepared and be ready to act if any suspected tornado approaches.
The tornado watch for Alabama remains in force until 4 a.m. local time. The watch will last until 6 a.m. local time for the central Alabama counties, including Barbour, Coosa, Clay, Chambers, Elmore, Macon, Randolph, Bullock, Cleburne, Lee, Montgomery, Russell, Lowndes, Pike, and Tallapoosa counties.
Florida counties of Bay, Gadsden, Jackson, Liberty, Washington, Calhoun, Gulf, Jefferson, Wakulla, Franklin, Holmes, Leon, and Walton have already been put under tornado watch until 10 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Some parts of California are also flooded due to the heavy downpour. It is expected to end by Monday. Meanwhile, some parts of the Great Lakes could get heavy snow. Severe thunderstorms are likely to persist into Sunday. It could also bring chilly winds from Florida through the Mid-Atlantic region.
Catastrophic impact expected
The Weather Prediction Centre stated that a level 4 of 4 for high-risk flooding was implemented for over 1.5 million people of northwestern Tennessee and western Kentucky. According to WPC, life-threatening and significant flooding is anticipated in the region.
The WPC research claimed that such weather conditions are so rare that they happen in less than 4% of each year. Yet it can cause more than 80% of flood damage and 40% of flood deaths.
In 10 counties, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency. Moreover, a state of preparedness in all 55 counties on Saturday was also declared. A Guard team has been deployed in Virginia to help with recovery efforts.
Published By:
indiatodayglobal
Published On:
Feb 16, 2025
