Tornado watch in effect for Athens county until 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
A tornado watch was called into effect for Southeast Ohio Tuesday afternoon, but local officials said there is nothing to fear.
The National Weather Service released a tornado watch Tuesday afternoon for Athens and its surrounding counties. The watch took effect at 2:05 p.m. and will continue until 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Southeastern Ohio counties under the tornado watch include: Athens, Morgan, Hocking, Jackson, Meigs, Vinton, and Washington.
Nate McGinnis, the associate director of Ohio University’s Scalia Laboratory, said the chances of an actual tornado occurring are low.
He said that tornadoes require heat to form, and the constant rain has been inhibiting that process.
“The chance is definitely there, but it seems that if we continue with the rain (there likely won’t be a tornado),” McGinnis said. “It’s one of those things where you don’t let your guard down.”
McGinnis added that most of the severe weather Tuesday had been occurring south of Athens, along the Ohio River and into Kentucky.
Though the threat of a tornado is considered to be minimal, the Scalia Laboratory will be observing weather patterns in the western regions of Ohio Tuesday night, which could predict what weather will travel to the Athens region.
Jeff Rennie, a spokesman for AEP, said there had been at least 350 power outages Tuesday in Athens County. He added that all but three of those outages had been restored.
For more more updates on the development of the tornado watch, please check the National Weather Service website.
For more information, please check the National Weather Service website: http://forecast.weather.gov
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