Flood watch includes parts of metro Atlanta

A flood watch has been posted for parts of North Georgia — including a chunk of metro Atlanta — where forecasters predict as much as 4 inches of rain by midweek.

The National Weather Service on Monday expanded the flood watch to include Cobb, north Fulton, Paulding, Forsyth and Cherokee counties. The total watch area extends from the Alabama line west of Atlanta to east of Blairsville.

The watch takes effect Tuesday morning and continues through Wednesday morning, the Weather Service said.

“A complex storm system is expected to affect much of the southeastern U.S. over the next couple of days,” the Weather Service said.

“Rain will be heavy at times with amounts by Wednesday morning between 1 to 3 inches over much of the watch area,” forecasters said. “Some places could see as much as 4 inches.

The forecast for metro Atlanta calls for a 50 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms Monday afternoon, increasing to 90 percent overnight. Temperatures will remain steady in the mid-50s, forecasters said.

The risk of rain is 60 percent Tuesday and 80 percent Tuesday night, with highs in the mid-60s and lows around 50.

The rain should taper off during the day Wednesday, leaving partly to mostly sunny skies through the end of the week. Highs the remainder of the week will be in the 50s, with lows in the 30s.