Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued for Florida Panhandle Tuesday Evening

A complex of thunderstorms capable of producing wind damage is expected to move through the Florida Panhandle Tuesday evening, where a Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued until 1 am EDT.

As of 7:30 pm CDT, a squall line of storm was observed on radar entering Escambia and Santa Rosa counties from the northwest.

Segments of this line or new storms that form ahead of it could become strong enough to produce wind gusts up to 60 mph or nickel-sized hail as they progress to the southeast Tuesday evening. The storms are most likely to affect the Emerald Coast beaches and Crestview between 9 and 10 pm CDT, then move toward Panama City and Marianna between 10 and 11 pm CDT, then potentially approach Tallahassee and Apalachicola between 12 and 1 am EDT.

The Severe Thunderstorm Watch is an extension of the earlier Tornado Watch issued for the greater Pensacola metro area that was set to expire at 10 pm CDT. A Flash Flood Watch is also in effect for the Florida Panhandle through late Wednesday night, where multiple rounds of thunderstorms could produce widespread rain amounts of 2 to 4 inches, with locally heavier amounts of 6 to 8 inches over the next 24 to 36 hours.