Forecasters use the terms tornado watch and tornado warning when predicting if and where tornadoes are possible in an area. How are they different?

Tornado watches and tornado warnings have different purposes, and you should react to each differently, AccuWeather explains. A tornado watch is typically issued hours in advance by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC).

Tornadoes may be a rare occurrence in the Northeast, but it is still important to know when and how to stay safe when severe weather threatens your home.

A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes, while a warning means a tornado is imminent or occurring. A “tornado watch” has been issued by the National Weather Service and its Storm Prediction Center for most of New Jersey on Monday, including the entire Jersey Shore region. Here’s what we know as of this afternoon:

A tornado watch was issued early Monday for parts of the Florida Panhandle as a line of strong thunderstorms moved east across the Gulf Coast.

Severe storms are moving through north Georgia and metro Atlanta overnight.