3 To 6 Inches Of Rain Could Fall In North, Middle GA, Prompting A Flash Flood Watch

GEORGIA — A flash flood watch was issued Monday evening for much of north Georgia and the northern portion of middle Georgia along the I-85 corridor, the National Weather Service is reporting.

The flash flood watch is expected to last from early Tuesday morning to early Thursday morning stemming from a National Weather Service Atlanta forecast predicting between 3 and 6 inches of steady rain.

NWS forecasters’ greatest concerns are locally heavier downpours that may contribute to flooding.

Metro Atlanta counties in the flash flood watch include: Bartow, Cherokee, Forsyth, Paulding, Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Barrow, Douglas, and DeKalb.

Cities under the watch include Cartersville, Marietta, Atlanta, Decatur, Peachtree City, Athens,
Lawrenceville and Douglasville.

Forecasters also said there may be some thunderstorms that could produce lightning and gusty winds.

The watch extends from the southernmost border along a northeasterly line from Columbus in the west to Athens in the east — just southeast of the I-85 corridor — to the northern borders of the state, according to NWS models. Weather will dissipate southeast of that southernmost line.

Here's the latest forecast from the National Weather Service:

Monday night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 65. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tuesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 71. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Tuesday night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 66. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Wednesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 75. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Wednesday night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 66. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Thursday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 76. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Thursday night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 9pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 9pm. Low around 65. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 77.

Friday night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 9am. Sunny, with a high near 78.

Patch will continue to monitor the flash flood watch and post updates on weather and its impact.