Tornado watch issued for parts of Deep South as the West braces for heavy rain, snow

A tornado watch was issued on Sunday for parts of the Florida panhandle, Alabama and Georgia.

The National Weather Service issued the watch, which will remain in effect through Sunday afternoon, as severe weather is forecast to pass through the Deep South, bringing the potential for damaging winds, large hail and heavy rain east from Brunswick, Georgia, and Gainesville and Jacksonville, Florida, into southern Mississippi.

Scattered damaging wind gusts, possibly up to 70 mph, are forecast for the areas under the tornado watch.

The severe weather threat comes a day after severe storms passed through the Deep South, producing damaging winds and some hail from eastern Texas to southern Mississippi. No casualties were reported from Saturday’s storms.

On Sunday morning, storms continued to track through the South and are expected to set the stage for more severe weather into Sunday afternoon and evening across the Heartland.

The highest threat for severe weather on Sunday includes parts of the Florida panhandle from Panama City to Tallahassee and Jacksonville. The severe weather is also forecast to stretch north into parts of southern Georgia and southeast Alabama, from the towns of Dothan, Alabama, to Brunswick, Georgia, as well as the region’s coastal waters.