The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Bibb and four nearby Georgia counties on June 18, 2026, as a fast-moving storm system pushed across central Georgia and metro Atlanta. The warning covered Bibb, eastern Muscogee, northeastern Chattahoochee, southwestern Talbot and southeastern Harris counties until 7:00 PM EDT.
People searching 13WMAZ coverage are looking for the same answer: where the danger was right now. At 6:27 PM, forecasters said a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado had been detected near Kenwood, about 7 miles east of Columbus, and it was moving northeast at 35 mph. The alert landed while a wider tornado watch was already in place across much of metro Atlanta and central Georgia through 11 p.m. Thursday, putting 38 counties under the larger warning zone.
The numbers showed how broad the storm's reach had become. As of 6 p.m., more than 70,000 Georgians were without power, with the heaviest outages in DeKalb, Fulton and Clayton counties. DeKalb and Fulton each had more than 10,000 homes in the dark. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was also dealing with heavy delays as thunderstorms passed through the area, turning the storm into a problem for roads, homes and travel at the same time.
That same weather system carried a flood watch as well, because the ground was already saturated and the National Weather Service warned that rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying areas could flood across Georgia. The flood watch covered parts of 62 counties and was expected to expire late Friday night, which meant the threat was not limited to one burst of wind or one line of storms.
Georgia Power said its crews were ready to respond once it was safe to do so, but the wait itself mattered. By the time the tornado warning window closed at 7:00 PM EDT, the region was still under a broader watch, still coping with outages and still watching the skies for the next round. For now, the storm's main message was clear: the danger had not passed when one warning ended.
