The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch in effect until 2:00 AM EDT Thursday. The watch includes 61 counties across portions of north, central, east central, and west central Georgia. Within the Middle Georgia area, the following counties are included in the watch: Butts, Lamar, Schley, Sumter, Taylor, and Upson. This tornado watch means that atmospheric conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.