The tornado watch included much of metro Atlanta, Athens, and Macon, according to the National Weather Service. It will remain in place until 1 p.m.
The watch was issued after Tropical Storm Fred moved inland after making landfall near Cape San Blas in the Florida panhandle Monday afternoon. The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression Tuesday morning.
Fred was about 15 miles south-southwest of Columbus, Georgia, Tuesday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was lumbering to the north-northeast at 14 mph, the NHC said. It is expected to move across western and northern Georgia Tuesday and across the southern Appalachian Mountains Tuesday night. Fred will approach the central Appalachian Mountains by early Wednesday, the NHC said.
Fred is expected to drop up to 8 inches of rain over portions of Georgia and the southern Appalachians Tuesday, with isolated totals of 10 inches possible
The heavy rainfall could lead to urban and flash flooding along with isolated river flooding across portions of the southeast and Mid-Atlantic states, the NHC said.
There is a threat of tornadoes across parts of Georgia, the western Carolinas, and southern Virginia through Tuesday, the NHC said.