PEACHTREE CITY - The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for counties in extreme west Georgia as the state braces for showers and severe thunderstorms.

The storms began moving into the state early Tuesday morning and are expected to move from the northwest to the southeast, sweeping across metro Atlanta during the morning rush hour and bringing 1 to 2 inches of rain.

National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Konarik says the stormy weather is likely to begin in west Georgia and push through the Atlanta area by noon.

Konarik warned that the turbulence could be similar to a week ago when thunderstorms and tornadoes came in from the west and caused an estimated 15 million dollars to some 1,300 homes. Carrollton County, where the storms hit last Tuesday, is among the counties under the tornado watch.

The stormy weather should reach Macon and Athens by mid-afternoon and hit the coast by sunset, before heading out of the state.