FLASH FLOOD WARNING AREA EXPANDED

PEACHTREE CITY - Heavy rains across north Georgia are causing some streams and creeks to rise and a Flash Flood Warning has been posted for all or parts of several counties... including Gwinnett and southern Forsyth, and, now, parts of Banks and Jackson counties.

It's in effect until 2:30 this afternoon and also includes southern Cherokee County, eastern Paulding, and all of Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, and Fulton counties. Meantime, a Flash Flood Watch remains in effect through this evening for north Georgia and portions of central Georgia. (See separate story.) Much of north Georgia had received 1-2 inches of rain by 9:00 o'clock this morning with another 2-3 inches expected.

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NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
834 AM EDT MON OCT 12 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
SOUTHERN CHEROKEE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
COBB COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
DEKALB COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
DOUGLAS COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
SOUTHERN FORSYTH COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
FULTON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
GWINNETT COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
EASTERN PAULDING COUNTY IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
UNTIL 230 PM EDT

SOUTHERN BANKS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
NORTHEASTERN JACKSON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
UNTIL 415 PM EDT

SINCE 5 AM...MOST OF THE AREA (INCLUDED IN THE WARNING) HAS RECEIVED 1 TO
2 INCHES OF RAIN. AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 3 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED
ACROSS THE WARNED AREA AS ANOTHER LINE OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL
MOVES IN FROM ALABAMA.

SEVERAL CREEKS AND STREAMS ARE RISING RAPIDLY. NORTH FORK
PEACHTREE CREEK...CROOKED CREEK...PEW CREEK AT LAWRENCEVILLE...
AND NICKAJACK CREEK ARE ALREADY ABOVE ACTION STAGE AND ARE NEARING
MINOR FLOOD STAGE. OTHER CREEKS...SUCH AS NOONDAY CREEK...NANCY
CREEK...NOSES CREEK...AND UTOY CREEK...JUST TO NAME A FEW...ARE
ALSO RISING RAPIDLY AND WILL SOON REACH FLOOD STAGE. WIDESPREAD
MINOR FLOODING OF THESE CREEKS IS EXPECTED...BUT SOME CREEKS MAY
APPROACH OR EXCEED MODERATE FLOOD STAGE. IN ADDITION...WATER MAY
BEGIN TO INUNDATE LOW LYING URBAN AREAS DUE TO OVERWHELMED DRAINS.
TAKE WHATEVER PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY!
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

AT 1010 AM EDT...THE EMERGENCY MANAGER IN BANKS COUNTY REPORTED
WEBBS CREEK WAS BEGINNING TO FLOOD WEBBS CREEK ROAD AND THE ROAD
WAS BEING CLOSED. ALSO CROOKED CREEK BETWEEN THE POTTERY MALL
AND TANGER OUTLET MALL WAS BEGINNING TO FLOOD A PORTION OF THE
PARKING LOTS NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF INTERSTATE 85 AND HIGHWAY
441. RAINFALL AMOUNTS NEAR 3 INCHES HAVE OCCURRED SINCE EARLY
THIS MORNING. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES CAN
BE EXPECTED THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE RAPID RISES AND
FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS...AS WELL AS HIGHWAYS AND
UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG
THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT
TO FLOODING.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY...THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

IF YOU SEE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
TOLL FREE AT 1 8 6 6 7 6 3 4 4 6 6.