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The National Weather Service has issued a new Tornado Watch for several counties in northeastern North Carolina, to include Bertie, Gates, Hertford, and Northampton.

This new Watch replaces a portion of one that was issued this morning (Thursday) and was set to expire at 1 pm. The new Watch is now until 8 pm and also includes Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank and Perquimans counties as well as the cities of Franklin, VA and Suffolk, VA.

It is part of a broader Tornado Watch area that also covers Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Greene, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, Onslow, Pamlico, Person, Pitt, Tyrrell, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Wayne, and Wilson counties until 8 pm.

A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for the formation of a tornado. If a Watch changes to a Warning, that means a tornado has been sighted by a weather spotter or indicated by radar.

Meanwhile, the Roanoke-Chowan area also remains under a Flood Watch until 12 midnight Friday.

All of this unsettled weather is part of Tropical Storm Debby, which made landfall last night (Wednesday) in South Carolina and is now making its way across the Tar Heel State. The center of the storm is expected to move across the Piedmont of North Carolina.

There have been several confirmed tornadoes early Thursday morning in Sampson and Wilson counties. Other tornado warnings have been in Pitt, Edgecombe and Nash counties.

The twister in Wilson County, near the town of Lucama, has resulted in one death. Ten homes, a middle school, and a church were damaged there by a tornado that occurred shortly before 3 am today.

R-C area residents are advised to remain on alert throughout today and tonight.

If you must travel, visit DriveNC.gov or call 511 or 877-511-4662 for current information about the roadways provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.