A flood watch was issued for Cobb County and much of the rest of north and central Georgia by the National Weather Service.

The watch is expected to remain in effect for nearly three days, beginning Friday evening, March 8, and lasting into the overnight hours between Saturday.

What is in the Flood Watch statement?

The following text is from the flood watch alert:

..FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE SATURDAY

NIGHT…

* WHAT…Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible.

* WHERE…Portions of northern and central Georgia.

* WHEN…From Friday evening through late Saturday night.

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

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

  Area creeks and streams are running high and could rise further

  with more heavy rain.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…

  – A storm system will produce moderate to heavy rainfall in the

    region between Friday night and Saturday night. Rainfall

    totals of 1 to 4 inches are expected, with locally high

    amounts possible. This rainfall may combine with saturated

    soil conditions to produce flooding.

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

What areas are affected by the flood watch?

The following counties are included:

Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Crawford, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Gordon, Greene, Gwinnett, Hall, Hancock, Haralson, Harris, Heard, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Lumpkin, Madison, Marion, Macon, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Muscogee, Newton, North Fulton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Peach, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Putnam, Rockdale, Schley, South Fulton, Spalding, Stewart, Talbot, Taliaferro, Taylor, Troup, Twiggs, Union, Upson, Walton, White, Wilkes, Wilkinson, and Worth

Including the cities of:

Athens, Atlanta, Barnesville, Blairsville, Bremen, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carrollton, Cartersville, Cedartown, Chatsworth, Cleveland, Columbus, Comer, Commerce, Conyers, Covington, Crawford, Crawfordville, Cumming, Dahlonega, Dallas, Dawsonville, Decatur, Douglasville, East Point, Eatonton, Ellaville, Ellijay, Forsyth, Fort Moore, Fort Valley, Franklin, Gainesville, Gray, Greensboro, Griffin, Hiawassee, Homer, Jackson, Jasper, Jeffersonville, Lawrenceville, Lumpkin, Madison, Macon, Manchester, Marietta, Milledgeville, Monroe, Montezuma, Monticello, Newnan, Peachtree City, Pine Mountain, Riverdale, Roberts, Rome, Sparta, Stockbridge, Summerville, Talbotton, Thomaston, Thomasboro, Toomsboro, Warner Robins, Washington, Watkinsville, Winder, Woodstock, 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.