Atlanta under tornado watch as severe storms threaten nearly 98 million people Thursday

ATLANTA – More rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms are expected Thursday, with nearly 98 million people in the severe weather threat zone.

Complex storms are expected to develop at any time of day and impact communities from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic.

Already Thursday morning, a tornado watch was issued for north and central Georgia, far western North Carolina and far southeastern Tennessee until 1 p.m. ET. This includes Atlanta and Macon in Georgia and Chattanooga in Tennessee.

A second tornado watch is in effect for northern Alabama, far northwest Georgia, northern Mississippi, and southern Middle Tennessee until 10 a.m. PT.

Cities like Atlanta and Dallas are in a Level 3 out of 5 risk zone for potentially damaging weather, while communities between Baltimore and Jacksonville, Fla., along the I-95 corridor are are in a level 2 risk zone.

A slow-moving frontal boundary that produced days of tornadoes from the Plains to the South-Central will once again be the focal point for waves of precipitation.

“Texarkana and Shreveport may experience a few of these storms first, and then we’ll start to see them really flourish again in the afternoon and evening, eventually dumping into areas like Mississippi , Alabama, then move back toward Georgia late evening and overnight We will be watching for areas like Atlanta that could become very active overnight and into early Friday,” said FOX Meteorologist Kiyana Lewis. Weather.

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Unlike the activity earlier in the week, the main storm-related threats appear to be hail and damaging winds rather than tornadoes.

Meteorologists might use the terms quasi-linear convective system, squall line or even bow echo to describe Thursday’s activity, which poses a significant wind threat.

The Storm Prediction Center warns that some storms may be capable of producing wind gusts reaching hurricane force.

The FOX Forecast Center also warns that the threat of hail should also be appreciable over the Lone Star State.

“I think we really need to monitor even that component. We will have a threat of egg-sized hail over a good portion of East Texas, including the state capital, Austin, and back to Dallas,” Lewis said.

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Friday forecast

The risk of storms is expected to persist through at least Friday in the Southeast, but no outbreak of organized severe weather is expected.

Despite the lack of organization, any thunderstorm that develops will have the potential to become severe with hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes.

Cities like Mobile, Alabama; Tallahassee, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; and Charleston, South Carolina, are included in the increased risk area for strong to severe storms.

Beyond Friday, the frontal boundary is expected to extend offshore, keeping the region free of thunderstorms through the weekend.