Tornado watch issued for 9 Southern IL counties. Warning issued for northwest St. Clair County

This is a breaking story and will be updated

Nine southern Illinois counties are under a tornado watch until 11 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in St. Louis. Parts of two of the counties, northwestern St. Clair County and western Madison County, were also under a tornado warning until 5:45 p.m.

The nine counties under a tornado watch are St. Clair, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Marion and Washington.

Earlier in the day, Lydia Jaja, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, warned of potential severe weather.

“In terms of hazards, pretty much everything is on the table, including large hail, damaging winds and the possibility of a tornado as well,” she said. “This could be a cluster of storms and may not just be a one and done. The entire system could last up to a couple hours.”

Jaja said, if the area does incur severe winds, gusts could reach in excess of 60 miles per hour. Meanwhile, Jaja didn’t pinpoint the chances of tornadoes forming, only relaying the NWS is taking the threat seriously.

Jaja added the area should not expect any flash flooding.

“Locally heavy rain is possible, but localized flooding should not be a problem today,” she said.

Jaja also offered several safety tips, such as being near a shelter and having a working radio close by.

“If you are close enough to hear thunder, you’re close enough to be struck by lightning,” she said. “These storms can pop up unannounced and really surprise you. Have a way to get information ... and go inside if you hear thunder.”

As Jaja noted, the National Weather Service recommends keeping plugged into the forecast as it develops, www.weather.gov. Their Facebook page is www.facebook.com/NWSStLouis.

This story was originally published May 19, 2022 at 2:53 PM.