The National Weather Service has continued a Flood Watch for Cobb County, metro Atlanta and much of north and central Georgia from late Friday night, October 9, through Sunday morning, October 11, 2026. Heavy rainfall associated with Hurricane Isaias could produce widespread accumulations of 1 to 3 inches, with localized totals reaching 5 inches. Flash flooding is expected to be a particular concern in urban areas, locations with poor drainage, and near creeks and streams.
The National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for north and central Georgia for Friday night to Sunday Morning.
Weather reports can be packed with unfamiliar terms. Our plain-English guide to understanding weather reports explains what they mean—and what you should pay attention to.
What is in the Flood Watch?
The Flood Watch states the following:
531 PM EDT Thu Oct 8 2026
…FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING…
- WHAT…Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible.
- WHERE…Portions of central, east central, north central, northeast, northwest, southeast, and west central Georgia, including the following areas, in central Georgia, Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Crawford, Crisp, Dodge, Dooly, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Laurens, Monroe, Montgomery, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Telfair, Twiggs, Wheeler, Wilcox and Wilkinson. In east central Georgia, Emanuel, Glascock, Greene, Hancock, Jefferson, Johnson, Taliaferro, Treutlen, 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 southeast Georgia, Toombs. In west central Georgia, Chattahoochee, Coweta, Harris, Heard, Lamar, Macon, Marion, Meriwether, Muscogee, Pike, Schley, Spalding, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Troup, Upson and Webster.
- WHEN…From late Friday night through Sunday morning.
- IMPACTS…Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.
- ADDITIONAL DETAILS…
- Hurricane Isaias is expected to bring rounds of heavy rainfall to the area late Friday through early Sunday. Widespread totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected with localized amounts of 5 inches. With high rainfall rates and the potential for repeated rounds of heavy rain in bands, flash flooding is expected. The locations most at risk are poor drainage and urban areas, as well as creeks and streams prone to flash flooding.
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.
Counties included in the alert
- Baldwin
- Banks
- Barrow
- Bartow
- Bibb
- Bleckley
- Butts
- Carroll
- Catoosa
- Chattahoochee
- Chattooga
- Cherokee
- Clarke
- Clayton
- Cobb
- Coweta
- Crawford
- Crisp
- Dade
- Dawson
- DeKalb
- Dodge
- Dooly
- Douglas
- Emanuel
- Fannin
- Fayette
- Floyd
- Forsyth
- Gilmer
- Glascock
- Gordon
- Greene
- Gwinnett
- Hall
- Hancock
- Haralson
- Harris
- Heard
- Henry
- Houston
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Jefferson
- Johnson
- Jones
- Lamar
- Laurens
- Lumpkin
- Macon
- Madison
- Marion
- Meriwether
- Monroe
- Montgomery
- Morgan
- Murray
- Muscogee
- Newton
- North Fulton
- Oconee
- Oglethorpe
- Paulding
- Peach
- Pickens
- Pike
- Polk
- Pulaski
- Putnam
- Rockdale
- Schley
- South Fulton
- Spalding
- Stewart
- Sumter
- Talbot
- Taliaferro
- Taylor
- Telfair
- Toombs
- Towns
- Treutlen
- Troup
- Twiggs
- Union
- Upson
- Walker
- Walton
- Warren
- Washington
- Webster
- Wheeler
- White
- Whitfield
- Wilcox
- Wilkes
- Wilkinson
About the National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is a federal agency within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Its primary mission is to provide weather, water, and climate data, forecasts, and warnings to protect life and property and to enhance the national economy.
Headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, the NWS operates through a network of six regional headquarters and more than 100 local Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) across the country. These offices issue weather forecasts, warnings, advisories, and watches tailored to specific geographic areas.
Metro Atlanta is served by the National Weather Service’s Atlanta/Peachtree City Weather Forecast Office, located in Peachtree City. The office issues forecasts, watches, warnings and other weather information for much of north and central Georgia, including Cobb County.
The NWS also runs specialized centers, including the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) for severe weather outlooks, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) for tropical storm tracking, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) for national forecast guidance, and the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) for solar activity that may affect Earth-based systems.
NWS forecasts and alerts are based on data from a combination of satellites, radar systems, weather balloons, surface observation stations, and computer models. The agency collaborates with emergency managers, broadcasters, government agencies, and the public to ensure that timely and accurate information is disseminated during weather events.
Its services are made available to the public at no cost, and its warnings—such as tornado warnings, flash flood alerts, and winter storm advisories—serve as official guidance for public safety and emergency response.
Editor’s note: AI was used in the production of this article. To read about when and why we made use of AI, read our article “How, When and Why the Cobb County Courier uses AI.”