PHILADELPHIA – Several local schools have announced early dismissal as a round of dangerous weather threatens to move across the region Monday.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for the entire area, which will not expire until after 7 p.m.

Early dismissal

What we know:

Local school districts are planning to release students from school early to allow them to safely return home ahead of the storms.

Here’s a full list of schools that have announced early dismissal on Monday. Mobile app users can click here to view the list.

Forecast | Dangerous storms threaten Philly, suburbs

Local perspective:

Forecasters say a cluster of powerful storms will move into the Philadelphia area this afternoon, with strong wind gusts capable of spinning up a tornado. The storms will also bring bouts of heavy rain along with thunder and lightning. 

Showers will become more widespread as the afternoon turns to evening, producing anywhere from an 1″-1.5″ of rainfall capable of overwhelming low-lying bodies of water. 

Tornado Watch

What they’re saying:

Forecasters expect strong wind gusts to be among the greatest threats associated with the storm.

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for the entire region from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. 

The weather advisory warns of potential wind gusts up to 80 MPH and isolated bouts of quarter-sized hail.

The alert supersedes a previous Wind Advisory issued by the weather service earlier in the day.

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