National Weather Service declares tornado watch for Stark County

The National Weather Service declared a tornado watch through midnight Thursday for several Northeast Ohio counties, including Stark, Summit, Mahoning, Portage, Trumbull, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula, as well as areas of northwest Pennsylvania.

Stark County cities listed as being covered by the tornado watch include Canton, Alliance and Massillon.

What is a tornado watch?

A tornado watch is an alert issued by the National Weather Service. It means that tornadoes are possible in and near the "watch" area.

A tornado watch is issued by the Storm Prediction Center for counties where tornadoes may occur, and the watch area is typically large, covering numerous counties or states.

If a tornado watch is issued in your area, the NWS says to be prepared and be ready to act quickly if the next level, a warning, is issued or if you suspect a tornado is approaching.

What is a tornado warning?

A tornado warning is the more serious and urgent of the two terms, and means a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Tornado warnings are issued by your local forecast office, and typically cover a much smaller area than a tornado watch.

If there is a tornado warning, that means there is imminent danger to life and property and affected residents should take action now, the National Weather Service says.

You should move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and avoid windows. If you're in a mobile home, vehicle or are outdoors, move to the closest "substantial" shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.

Includes reporting by USA Today.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: National Weather Service declares tornado watch for Stark County