National Weather Service Issues Multiple Tornado Watches Sunday

The National Weather Service has been busy Sunday, issuing a number of alerts and warnings regarding severe weather around the country. Included on that list are several tornado watches.

Parts of four states are under a "Tornado Watch," according to the NWS Storm Center in Norman, Oklahoma. They are Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri.

What does a 'Tornado Watch' mean?

The National Weather Service categorizes its tornado alerts into three distinct levels.

They are:

• Tornado Watch: Be Prepared
• Tornado Warning: Take Action
• Tornado Emergency: Seek Shelter Immediately

A "Tornado Watch" means there are conditions that "could lead to the formation of severe storms and tornadoes."

"Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. Review and discuss your emergency plans, take inventory of your supplies and check your safe room. Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching. Acting early helps to save lives! Watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center for counties where tornadoes may occur. The watch area is typically large, covering numerous counties or even states," says the NWS definition.

What areas are under 'Tornado Watch'?

According to the NWS Storm Center in Norman, four counties in Missouri are under "Tornado Watch" until 9 p.m. ET tonight: Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry and Scott.

Additionally, the following counties in Kentucky are also under a "Tornado Watch" until 9 p.m. ET Sunday: Ballard, Caldwell, Crittenden, Daviess, Henderson, Hopkins, Livingston, Lyon, McCracken, McLean, Union and Webster.

Illinois and Indiana are more widely-impacted, According to the warnings from NWS Norman, Chicago and Northern Indiana, the following Illinois counties are under "Tornado Watch," also until 9 p.m. ET Sunday.

• Alexander
• Bond
• Champaign
• Christian
• Clark
• Clay
• Clinton
• Coles
• Crawford
• Cumberland
• De Witt
• Douglas
• Edgar
• Edwards
• Effingham
• Fayette
• Ford
• Franklin
• Gallatin
• Hardin
• Iroquois
• Jackson
• Jasper
• Jefferson
• Johnson
• Kankakee
• Lawrence
• Livingston
• Macon
• Marion
• Massac
• McLean
• Montgomery
• Moultrie
• Perry
• Piatt
• Pope
• Pulaski
• Randolph
• Richland
• Saline
• Shelby
• Union
• Vermilion
• Wabash
• Washington
• Wayne
• White
• Williamson

Finally, the following counties throughout Indiana are under "Tornado Watch" until 9 p.m. ET tonight.

• Benton
• Boone
• Brown
• Carroll
• Cass
• Clay
• Clinton
• Daviess
• Dubois
• Fountain
• Fulton
• Gibson
• Greene
• Hamilton
• Hendricks
• Howard
• Jasper
• Johnson
• Knox
• Lawrence
• Marion
• Marshall
• Martin
• Miami
• Monroe
• Montgomery
• Morgan
• Newton
• Orange
• Owen
• Parke
• Pike
• Posey
• Pulaski
• Putnam
• Spender
• Starke
• Sullivan
• Tippecanoe
• Tipton
• Vanderburgh
• Vermillion
• Vigo
• Warren
• Warrick
• White

You can find the full "Tornado Watch" summaries here.