Tornado, Severe Storm Risk For Georgia This Easter

The threat of strong tornadoes on Easter is creating added difficulties for communities sheltering in place during the coronavirus pandemic. 

An outbreak of severe thunderstorms with powerful tornadoes and widespread damaging winds exists for all of north and central Georgia after 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Severe weather is likely tonight. While we can't tell you specifically what the safest place in YOUR home is, we can give you some guidelines:

-Basements

-Interior ground floor bathrooms

-Put as many walls between you and the outside as possible#gawx pic.twitter.com/rfbR47iVBC— NWS Atlanta (@NWSAtlanta) April 12, 2020

People who live in mobile homes should know these structures are not safe, but shelters may not be open due to coronavirus concerns.

The American Meteorological Society said people should not, "let the virus prevent you from seeking refuge from a tornado."

The American Red Cross has a tool on its website where people can search for open shelters in their area.

The weather is moving in from the west, threatening hard-hit parts of the state such as Dougherty County, which has the highest per capita death rate from COVID-19 in Georgia.

RELATED: Tornado Batters West Georgia After Killing People In Alabama

This time last year, storms killed six people across the South, the Associated Press reported, and two separate residential areas in Talbotton were slammed by a tornado last March. No one was injured in the west Georgia community, but the governor declared states of emergency due to the damage.