NWS issues local tornado watch through 8 p.m. tonight

CHEROKEE COUNTY – National Weather Service officials in Shreveport have issued a tornado watch through 8 p.m. Friday evening for Cherokee County and surrounding areas.

The tornado watch, issued at 1 p.m., comes on the heels of a forecast of strong to severe thunderstorms affecting the region late this afternoon and are expected continue overnight.

“This threat will occur along a frontal boundary that will shift east across the region with very warm and unstable air ahead of the front along with increasing shear,” officials said earlier in the day.

“Damaging winds, hail and tornadoes will all be possible. A few particularly strong and significant tornadoes cannot be ruled out, especially across the

western half of the region to include Southeast Oklahoma, East Texas

and the adjacent areas of Southwest Arkansas and Northwest Louisiana.”