Update: Tornado watch in effect for east Alabama until 1 a.m. EST; some local school districts announce delayed openings, one will be closed

11 p.m. update: Taylor County Schools will be closed Wednesday. Here is the announcement on its Twitter page:

"Taylor County Schools will be closed tomorrow (Wed Feb 24) due to the threat of inclement weather."

9:30 p.m. update: The school districts in Chattahoochee and Marion counties and St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School in Georgia and Chambers County in Alabama announced a two-hour delay for opening school Wednesday. Taylor County

Here is ChattCo's announcement on its website:

"On Wednesday Feb. 24, 2016 there will be a 2 hour weather delay. Faculty and Staff are to report at 9:00.  Elem. School and Daycare will start at 9:15, Middle School will start at 9:30 and High School will start at 10:30. Bus routes will also experience a 2 hour delay."

Here is the St. Anne-Pacelli news release:

"Due to the threat of severe weather, there will be a 2-hour delay in the start of school at St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School tomorrow, Wednesday, February 24, 2016. Teachers should report to school at 9 a.m.; middle and high school students will begin school at 10 a.m.; and students in Preschool through 5th grades will start school at 10:15 a.m.

Please join us in praying for those in the path of severe weather."

Here is Marion County's announcement on its website:

"Due to the Hazardous Weather Advisory issued by the National Weather Service, L.K. Moss Elementary and Marion County Middle High School will be on a 2 hour delay tomorrow, Wednesday, February 24, 2016 for all employees and students (employees report at 9:30 and students report at 10:00). Buses will pick up the students two hours later and car riders should be dropped off two hours later. No breakfast will be served."

Here is Chambers County's announcement on its Facebook page:

"Due to the potential for tornadoes and dangerous winds arriving in Chambers County overnight, we will be delaying school by 2 hours tomorrow, February 24, 2016. This is for all schools in Chambers County School District - Career Tech, Fairfax, Five Points, Eastside, Huguley, JP Powell, LaFayette Lanier, LaFayette High, Shawmut, WF Burns, and Valley High. If your child rides a bus, this means the bus will pick them up approximately 2 hours later than normal."

8:30 p.m. update: A tornado watch is in effect for most of east Alabama until 1 a.m. EST.

3 p.m. update: A significant weather event is headed our way tonight that potentially could produce tornadoes and strong wind, according to WRBL chief meteorologist Bob Jeswald.

The storm likely will hit the Chattahoochee Valley first in the window from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. with the most dangerous part of the storm moving into the area closer to midnight, he said.

The second wave of dangerous weather will arrive between 3 and 11 Wednesday morning, he added.

Muscogee County School District communications director Valerie Fuller said Tuesday around noon that the school district is actively monitoring the weather conditions. If there are any changes, parents will be notified via phone calls and their Facebook page.

Although the risk is higher in the southern and western parts of the Chattahoochee Valley, Jeswald said the storm could be dangerous for the entire area.

“This weather event is greater than what we had last week,” the meteorologist said about the storm that caused some tree and road damage in Russell County. “This will be more significant.”

Jeswald said people need to plan now for the storm that likely will hit while most of us are in bed. If you already haven’t, you need to identify your safe place in your home. If you don’t have a secure dwelling that has a secure foundation, you should identify somewhere else to stay tonight.

“In most houses the most central area of your home is where you should go to stay safe,” he said. “If there are trees near your house, where one could come down easily, stay away from that part of your house.”

It’s also important to keep your cellphones charged in case of power outages, so you can contact emergency officials if you need them. Make sure to change out old batteries in your radio, so you also can listen for weather alerts.

Jeswald likened the upcoming storm to the one in 2011 that ravaged Harris County. “It’s not as bad as what was in 2011,” he said, “but on a scale, it’s one less than that with potentially a more significant weather event, especially south of Montgomery.

“We’re right in there for it to give us an enhanced risk.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 10:23 AM with the headline "Update: Tornado watch in effect for east Alabama until 1 a.m. EST; some local school districts announce delayed openings, one will be closed."