Flood alerts cover much of Georgia tonight

Active flood alerts stretch from the mountains of north Georgia to Candler County in the southeast, with heavy rain already falling and more on the way.

What’s Happening: A flood advisory is in effect for Candler County until 8:45 p.m. Sunday. A flood watch covers 30 counties across northern and west central Georgia through 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Candler County: Between 2 and 3 inches of rain had already fallen in Candler County as of 7:48 p.m. Another 1 to 2 inches is on the way. Minor flooding is happening now or about to start in low-lying spots and areas where water doesn’t drain well. Union, Olifftown and Canoe Pond are among the places most at risk. Stay off flooded roads. You can report flooding to the National Weather Service at 1-888-383-2024 or nws.charlestonsc@noaa.gov.

North Georgia Watch: A flood watch covers 30 counties through early Tuesday morning. A watch means flooding is possible but hasn’t been confirmed yet. The counties under the watch are:

• North central Georgia: Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, Douglas, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Hall, Lumpkin, North Fulton, Pickens, South Fulton and Union.
• Northeast Georgia: Towns and White.
• Northwest Georgia: Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker and Whitfield.
• West central Georgia: Coweta and Heard.

What’s Important: Rain is coming down at more than 2 inches per hour in parts of north Georgia. Forecasters say storms may keep moving over the same areas again and again, which can cause creeks, streams and flood-prone neighborhoods to rise fast.

How This Affects Real People: If you live near a creek, stream or a spot that floods regularly, be ready to leave if water starts rising. Never drive through a flooded road — water can be much deeper than it looks and can push a car off the road.

The Path Forward: The flood watch runs through 2 a.m. Tuesday. More rounds of rain are expected throughout Monday, so check updated forecasts regularly.