Heavy rain predicted — and tornadoes possible — throughout the day in Tallahassee area
Typical Florida summer thunderstorms are in full swing, but forecasters are warning Tallahassee residents that Wednesday's weather could be more extreme.
The Panhandle and Big Bend area will have a slight to enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms, which is a two or three on the five-point scale the National Weather Service uses to measure weather threats.
The first round of severe storms are expected to continue into the afternoon, according to a social media weather update from the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. The second round of powerful storms is slated for tonight.
6/14 8am ET: Moderate Risk of severe storms (level 4 of 5) for SE AL & SW GA with a Slight to Enhanced Risk elsewhere (level 2-3 of 5).
1st Round: Late AM & afternoon
2nd Round: Overnight
We STRONGLY urge everyone to have multiple ways to get warnings!#ALwx #GAwx #FLwx pic.twitter.com/Ov9hMbc5hA— NWS Tallahassee (@NWSTallahassee) June 14, 2023
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Threats of tornadoes and flash floods are a concern with these severe storms. A tornado watch was posted until 7 p.m. for South Georgia and ends at the Florida border. Rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches are expected north of Interstate 10 and potential greater amounts in local areas.
Usually this area has a “stagnant atmosphere” during the summer, Kristian Oliver, a NWS Tallahassee meteorologist, said. This means that thunderstorms come up and down in just a few minutes, Oliver said, but this year, the storms are long-lived and able to sustain themselves for a lot longer than typical summer showers.
“This is the first time we have issued a moderate risk warning for this area at this time of the year,” he said. “It’s really unprecedented.”
Oliver said the storm prediction center has predicted a 2 to 9 percent chance of tornadoes across the area, which is also unusually high for this area during this time of year.
Best practices if a tornado does occur, he said, include finding a safe room inside a building that is not near windows and protecting your head. If you are driving and it is safe to do so, get out of the car and take cover in low-lying ground like a ditch.
With flooding, residents should know where their home is in relation to bodies of water like creeks and rivers, Oliver said, and avoid floodwaters.
Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on Twitter @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee weather: Heavy rains, severe storms and tornadoes possible
