The first signs of today’s expected severe weather outbreak are starting to show.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for the northwest quadrant of Alabama, including Jefferson and Blount counties, until 7 p.m.

As our area is on the eastern edge of that watch, there’s a good chance that it will be extended as the storms move in from the west.

Already at 12:30 p.m., a tornado emergency — a confirmed sighting of a tornado on the ground, and more extreme than a tornado warning — has been issued for Noxubee and Kemper counties in Mississippi, and a tornado warning extended in advance of that into Pickens County, Alabama.

Local schools are in the process of dismissing classes early for the day. All after-school activities, including ball games, are called off.

We will be updating events frequently throughout the day. Our fastest updates will be available at our Facebook page and our Twitter feed.