The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Watch for Cobb County and much of north and central Georgia from Saturday morning, October 10, through Sunday morning, October 11, 2026. East winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts reaching 50 mph, could bring down trees and power lines, cause widespread power outages, and make travel difficult, particularly for high-profile vehicles. The watch covers much of metro Atlanta and surrounding counties.
The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Watch for north and central Georgia for Saturday, October 10 through Sunday morning, October 11.
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 High Wind Watch?
The High Wind Watch states the following:
533 PM EDT Thu Oct 8 2026
…HIGH WIND WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING…
- WHAT…East winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph possible.
- WHERE…Portions of north central, northeast, northwest, and west central Georgia.
- WHEN…From Saturday morning through Sunday morning.
- IMPACTS…Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
Counties included in the alert
- Banks
- Barrow
- Bartow
- Carroll
- Catoosa
- Chattooga
- Cherokee
- Clarke
- Clayton
- Cobb
- Coweta
- Dade
- Dawson
- DeKalb
- Douglas
- Fannin
- Fayette
- Floyd
- Forsyth
- Gilmer
- Gordon
- Gwinnett
- Hall
- Haralson
- Henry
- Jackson
- Lumpkin
- Madison
- Murray
- Newton
- North Fulton
- Oconee
- Paulding
- Pickens
- Polk
- Rockdale
- South Fulton
- Spalding
- Towns
- Union
- Walker
- Walton
- White
- Whitfield
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.”