The Warren County area is gearing up for an afternoon of severe weather on Tuesday, with storms expected to arrive in the area between 2 and 4 p.m. according to Warren County Emergency Management Director John Elfer.

The area is under a Tornado Watch until 7 p.m.

Elfer said there are several precautions residents can take upon the onset of severe weather.

“We’ve been talking about this for the last day. We’re encouraging people to do several things,” Elfer said. “The first thing is to make sure you have more than one way to get warnings. Facebook isn’t the best option; a weather radio or an app on your phone is a better option.”

The Warren County Emergency Management Agency also encourages people to pay attention and stay off the road.

“The whole county is at risk — a level 4 out of 5,” Elfer said. “I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t know exactly where it’s going to go. Right now, everyone in the county needs to be paying attention.”

“We currently have a tornado-warned storm in central Louisiana right now as of 11:53 a.m.,” said forecaster Sarah Sickles of the National Weather Service office in Jackson. “Folks can expect strong, long-track tornadoes, large hail up to tennis ball size and wind gusts up to 80 mph.”

Sickles added that there is a small risk of flash flooding with this storm system, but the main concern is tornadoes.

The Vicksburg Post will post updates online as this severe weather system progresses through the area.