A flood watch was issued for Cobb County and much of the rest of Georgia by the National Weather Service and is in effect until 7 p.m. this evening, Monday, February 12, 2024.

What is in the Flood Watch statement?

The following text is from the flood watch alert:

* WHAT…Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be

  possible.

* WHERE…Portions of central, east central, north central,

  northeast, northwest, and west central Georgia, including the

  following areas, in central Georgia, Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley,

  Butts, Crawford, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Laurens, Monroe, Peach,

  Putnam, Twiggs and Wilkinson. In east central Georgia, Glascock,

  Greene, Hancock, Jefferson, Johnson, Taliaferro, Warren,

  Washington and Wilkes. In north central Georgia, Barrow, Cherokee,

  Clayton, Cobb, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fannin, Fayette, Forsyth,

  Gilmer, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Lumpkin, Morgan, Newton, North

  Fulton, Pickens, Rockdale, South Fulton, Union and Walton. In

  northeast Georgia, Banks, Clarke, Jackson, Madison, Oconee,

  Oglethorpe, Towns and White. In northwest Georgia, Bartow,

  Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson,

  Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker and Whitfield. In west central

  Georgia, Chattahoochee, Coweta, Harris, Heard, Lamar, Macon,

  Marion, Meriwether, Muscogee, Pike, Schley, Spalding, Talbot,

  Taylor, Troup and Upson.

* WHEN…Through this evening.

* IMPACTS…Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers,

  creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.

  Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur

  in poor drainage and urban areas.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…

  – http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action

should Flash Flood Warnings be issued.

What is the difference between a watch and a warning?

The National Weather Service describes the difference between a “watch” and a “warning” as follows:

“As the event becomes imminent, a watch will normally be upgraded to either a warning or an advisory (which indicates an 80% or greater probability of occurence).

“A Warning indicates that conditions pose a threat to life or property, and that travel will become difficult to impossible. “

“An Advisory indicates conditions pose a significant inconvenience, and if caution is not exercised, could lead to situations that may threaten life and/or property.”

List of affected areas in alphabetical order

Counties – Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chatham, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Crawford, Crisp, Dawson, DeKalb, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty, Douglas, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gilmer, Glascock, Glynn, Gordon, Greene, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Hancock, Haralson, Harris, Hart, Heard, Henry, Houston, Irwin, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Jones, Lamar, Lanier, Laurens, Lee, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, Lumpkin, Macon, Madison, Marion, McDuffie, McIntosh, Meriwether, Miller, Mitchell, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Murray, Muscogee, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Peach, Pickens, Pierce, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Quitman, Rabun, Randolph, Richmond, Rockdale, Schley, Screven, Seminole, Spalding, Stephens, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Taylor, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Towns, Treutlen, Troup, Turner, Twiggs, Union, Upson, Walker, Walton, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler, White, Whitfield, Wilcox, Wilkes, Wilkinson, Worth

Cities – Athens, Atlanta, Barnesville, Blairsville, Bremen, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carrollton, Cartersville, Cedartown, Chatsworth, Columbus, Commerce, Comer, Conyers, Crawford, Crawfordville, Cumming, Dahlonega, Dallas, Dalton, Dawsonville, Decatur, Douglasville, Dublin, East Point, Eatonton, Ellaville, Ellijay, Forsyth, Fort Oglethorpe, Fort Valley, Franklin, Gainesville, GIbson, Gray, Greensboro, Griffin, Hiawassee, Homer, Jackson, Jasper, Jeffersonville, LaFayette, Lawrenceville, Madison, Manchester, Marietta, Macon, Milledgeville, Monroe, Montezuma, Monticello, Newnan, Peachtree City, Pine Mountain, Riverdale, Roberts, Rome, Sandersville, Sparta, Stockbridge, Summerville, Talbotton, Thomaston, Toomsboro, Trenton, Warner Robins, Warrenton, Watkinsville, West Point, Winder, Woodstock, Wrightsville, Zebulon

About the National Weather Service

The National Weather Service (NWS) is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The NWS describes its role as follows:

The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. These services include Forecasts and Observations, Warnings, Impact-based Decision Support Services, and Education in an effort to build a Weather-Ready Nation. The ultimate goal is to have a society that is prepared for and responds to weather, water and climate events.

Read all the Cobb County Courier climate and weather coverage by following this link.