A flood watch has been issued for Cobb County and the surrounding region by the National Weather Service in effect from Wednesday evening January 24 through Friday evening January 26.

What is in the Flood Watch statement?

The following text is from the flood watch alert:

…FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY

EVENING…

* WHAT…Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible.

* WHERE…Portions of north central, northeast, and northwest

  Georgia, including the following areas, in north central Georgia,

  Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer,

  Gwinnett, Hall, Lumpkin, North Fulton, Pickens, South Fulton and

  Union. In northeast Georgia, Banks, Towns and White. In northwest

  Georgia, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon,

  Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker and Whitfield.

* WHEN…From Wednesday evening through Friday evening.

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

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

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…

  – Showers and thunderstorms are forecast through the weekend

    across North and portions of Central Georgia. Total rainfall

    amounts of 2 to 4+ inches are expected in the watch area

    through Friday night. Locally higher amounts are possible

    with stronger, slow moving, or training thunderstorms.

  – 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.

What counties and cities are affected?

The following counties are included in the alert:

Banks, Bartow, Catoosa, Carroll, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Dade, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Hall, Haralson, Lumpkin, Murray, North Fulton, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, South Fulton, Towns, Union, Walker, White, Whitfield

Including the following cities:

Atlanta, Blairsville, Bremen, Calhoun, Carrollton, Cartersville, Cedartown, Chatsworth, Cleveland, Cumming, Dahlonega, Dallas, Dalton, Dawsonville, Decatur, Douglasville, East Point, Ellijay, Fort Oglethorpe, Gainesville, Hiawassee, Homer, Jasper, LaFayette, Lawrenceville, Marietta, Rome, Summerville, Trenton, Woodstock

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.