STRONG STORMS ENTERING COVINGTON COUNTY… The main line of thunderstorms we’ve been tracking all day is about to move into communities in northwest Covington County like Loango, Brooks, Red Level, and River Falls. So far, these storms remain under severe limits. This line of storms will move across Covington County over the next hour or so.
CLARIFICATION ABOUT TORNADO WATCH… If it seems strange to you that Covington and Okaloosa counties are currently NOT included in a tornado watch despite being surrounded by counties that ARE included, you’re not alone. The reason why: The earlier tornado watch that was issued late this morning for counties to the east did not include Covington and Okaloosa counties. The NEW tornado watch that has been issued for southeast Alabama and northwest Florida (that is valid until 9PM CST) was issued by the local weather service office responsible for those counties (NWS Tallahassee). NWS Mobile is the office responsible for issuing watches and warnings for Covington and Okaloosa counties. NWS Mobile has decided, in their assessment, that the severe weather probability isn’t high enough to extend the tornado watch into Covington and Okaloosa counties at this time. I tend to agree with that assessment.