Flash Flood Watch issued for WNC Mountains Today and Tonight

Due to recent heavy rains and ground that remains saturated, the Greenville-Spartanburg Office of the National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the region today and tonight. Here is the official announcement:


Flash Flood Watch

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC


335 AM EDT SAT SEP 26 2009

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA...FRANKLIN... HABERSHAM...RABUN AND STEPHENS. IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
 ALEXANDER...AVERY...BURKE MOUNTAINS...BUNCOMBE...CALDWELL MOUNTAINS...EASTERN MCDOWELL...EASTERN POLK...GREATER BURKE... GREATER CALDWELL...GREATER RUTHERFORD...GRAHAM...HAYWOOD... HENDERSON...MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS...MACON...MADISON...MITCHELL... NORTHERN JACKSON...POLK MOUNTAINS...RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS... SOUTHERN JACKSON...SWAIN...TRANSYLVANIA AND YANCEY. IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...GREATER OCONEE...GREATER PICKENS...GREENVILLE
 MOUNTAINS...OCONEE MOUNTAINS AND PICKENS MOUNTAINS.

* THROUGH LATE TONIGHT

* A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. ON AVERAGE...1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN IS EXPECTED BY THE TIME THE RAIN ENDS LATE TONIGHT. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN SLOPES OF THE APPALACHIANS...CLOSE TO THE TENNESSEE AND GEORGIA STATE LINES.

* RECENT HEAVY RAIN HAS LEFT MUCH OF THE MOUNTAINS AND WESTERN FOOTHILLS OF THE CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING. RAINFALL RATES ARE EXPECTED TO BE HIGH ENOUGH LATER TODAY TO RESULT IN RAPID ONSET FLASH FLOODING OF SOME SMALL STREAMS AND URBAN AREAS. SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF MAINSTEM RIVERS IS NOT EXPECTED AS THE PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN WILL BE FAIRLY BRIEF.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.

You can find more updated information at the regional NWS Office website and via NOAA Weather Radio if you have one broadcasting in your area.