Tornado Watch Covers 71 Georgia Counties Through Early Thursday Morning
Severe weather threatens 71 Georgia counties with tornado watch lasting through early Thursday morning, covering Atlanta metro and extending statewide.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — The National Weather Service issued Tornado Watch 188 covering 71 counties across Georgia on Tuesday evening, with the warning remaining in effect until 2:00 AM EDT Thursday morning.
The tornado watch spans counties from southwest Georgia through the Atlanta metropolitan area and extends into northeast Georgia, affecting millions of residents across the state. The watch was issued at 6:47 PM EDT on May 6 by multiple National Weather Service offices including Peachtree City, Greenville-Spartanburg, and Tallahassee.
Metro Atlanta and Surrounding Areas Under Watch
The tornado watch includes all major metropolitan Atlanta counties, with Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton, Henry, Douglas, and Fayette counties all covered by the warning. North central Georgia counties under the watch include Cherokee, Forsyth, Hall, Newton, Rockdale, and Walton.
In northeast Georgia, the watch covers Clarke, Jackson, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Banks, Towns, and White counties. The warning also extends to Elbert, Franklin, Habersham, Hart, Rabun, and Stephens counties in the northeastern portion of the state.
Extensive Geographic Coverage Across State
Northwest Georgia counties under the tornado watch include Bartow, Carroll, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Polk, and Whitfield. The watch extends into the mountainous regions with Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens, and Union counties included in the warning.
Southwest Georgia counties covered by the watch include Lee, Quitman, Randolph, and Terrell. Cities in this region under the tornado watch include Benevolence, Clarks Mill, Coles, Crossroads, Cuthbert, Dawson, Doverel, Forrester, Georgetown, Graves, Hatcher, Herod, Leesburg, Palmyra, Peterson Hill, Shivers Mill, Smithville, Springvale, Union, Wire Bridge, and Yeomans.
Additional counties across central and east central Georgia included in the watch are Butts, Greene, Wilkes, Barrow, Dawson, Morgan, and Gilmer.
Cities and Communities Affected
Major cities and communities covered by the tornado watch include Atlanta, Marietta, Roswell, Alpharetta, Lawrenceville, Decatur, College Park, and Douglasville in the metro Atlanta area. Northeast Georgia cities under the watch include Athens, Commerce, Gainesville, Toccoa, Clayton, Clarkesville, Cornelia, Demorest, Franklin Springs, Hartwell, Lavonia, and Mountain City.
The tornado watch represents a coordinated response from multiple National Weather Service offices monitoring severe weather conditions across Georgia and neighboring states. Portions of upstate South Carolina, including Abbeville, Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties, are also included in the same tornado watch.
Residents in affected areas should monitor weather conditions closely and be prepared to take immediate shelter if tornado warnings are issued for their specific locations during the overnight hours.
