On Thursday at 1:49 a.m. an updated tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service in effect until 3 a.m. for Barbour, Pike and Russell counties.

D late Wednesday night.A tornado watch is in effect for areas of Alabama, including counties in the WEAR-TV area. The watch is in effect until 3:00 a.m.

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists. S​evere thunderstorms and tornadoes are a threat in the South this weekend as a dangerous threat of flooding rain spreads as far north as the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians.

Strong tornadoes are possible across the South as storms pass through the Gulf Coast region. Some locations could see half a foot of rain, worsening flooding.

A winter storm that blanketed parts of the Midwest and Northeast with heavy snow and ice also unleashed severe weather, including tornadoes and damaging winds, across the South and Southeast on Wednesday.