000 WGUS62 KTAE 062109 FFATAE URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED FLOOD WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 409 PM EST THU MAR 6 2008 ...A FLOOD WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM EST /MIDNIGHT CST/ FRIDAY THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT... FLZ010>019-026>029-034-GAZ125>131-143>148-155>161-072200- /O.NEW.KTAE.FA.A.0002.080307T0600Z-080308T0600Z/ /00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ WASHINGTON-JACKSON-BAY-CALHOUN-GULF-FRANKLIN-GADSDEN-LEON- JEFFERSON-MADISON-LIBERTY-WAKULLA-TAYLOR-LAFAYETTE-DIXIE- DOUGHERTY-LEE-WORTH-TURNER-TIFT-BEN HILL-IRWIN-MILLER-BAKER- MITCHELL-COLQUITT-COOK-BERRIEN-SEMINOLE-DECATUR-GRADY-THOMAS- BROOKS-LOWNDES-LANIER- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CRYSTAL LAKE...CHIPLEY...FIVE POINTS... MARIANNA...GRACEVILLE...MALONE...SNEADS...PANAMA CITY... CALLAWAY...LYNN HAVEN...UPPER GRAND LAGOON...BLOUNTSTOWN... WHITE CITY...PORT ST. JOE...WEWAHITCHKA...APALACHICOLA... CARRABELLE...QUINCY...CHATTAHOOCHEE...TALLAHASSEE...SPRING HILL... MONTICELLO...MADISON...GREENVILLE...SWEETWATER...SOPCHOPPY... ST. MARKS...PERRY...MIDWAY...MAYO...CROSS CITY...ALBANY... LEESBURG...SMITHVILLE...SYLVESTER...ASHBURN...TIFTON... FITZGERALD...OCILLA...COLQUITT...NEWTON...CAMILLA...PELHAM... MOULTRIE...ADEL...SPARKS...NASHVILLE...DONALSONVILLE... BAINBRIDGE...CAIRO...THOMASVILLE...QUITMAN...VALDOSTA...LAKELAND 409 PM EST THU MAR 6 2008 /309 PM CST THU MAR 6 2008/ ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM EST /MIDNIGHT CST/ FRIDAY THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE HAS ISSUED A * FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN FLORIDA...BAY...CALHOUN...DIXIE...FRANKLIN...GADSDEN...GULF... JACKSON...JEFFERSON...LAFAYETTE...LEON...LIBERTY...MADISON... TAYLOR...WAKULLA AND WASHINGTON. IN GEORGIA...BAKER...BEN HILL...BERRIEN...BROOKS...COLQUITT... COOK...DECATUR... DOUGHERTY...GRADY...IRWIN...LANIER...LEE...LOWNDES...MILLER... MITCHELL...SEMINOLE...THOMAS...TIFT... TURNER AND WORTH. * FROM 1 AM EST /MIDNIGHT CST/ FRIDAY THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT * A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO TODAY AND THEN MOVE NORTHEAST TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE BY FRIDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM WILL PULL A WARM FRONT NORTHWARD ACROSS THE AREA EARLY FRIDAY. RAINS WILL DEVELOP NORTH OF THIS FRONT OVERNIGHT. THE HEAVIEST RAIN OVERNIGHT WILL BE ACROSS THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. THE AXIS OF HEAVY RAIN WILL THEN SLIDE EAST TO WESTERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA DURING THE MORNING AND MIDDAY HOURS. THE EASTERN BIG BEND AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA WILL BE THE FOCUS AREA DURING FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. A COLD FRONT WILL THEN SWEEP RAIN EAST OF THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT. * WIDESPREAD 2 TO 4 INCH RAINFALL TOTALS ARE ANTICIPATED IN THE WATCH AREA. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE FLORIDA BIG BEND. IF THESE RAINFALL TOTALS ARE REALIZED...SOME FLOODING WILL OCCUR IN NORMALLY FLOOD PRONE AREAS SUCH AS ROAD INTERSECTIONS AND LOW LYING POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. AREA RIVERS WITHIN THE WATCH AREA ARE STILL RUNNING NEAR BANK FULL FROM THE HEAVY RAINS THAT FELL IN LATE FEBRUARY. IT IS THEREFORE ANTICIPATED THAT RIVERINE FLOODING WILL OCCUR OVER THE WEEKEND. MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING IS ANTICIPATED ALONG THE FOLLOWING RIVERS...THE CHIPOLA...APALACHICOLA...OCHLOCKONEE...SAINT MARKS...SOPCHOPPY...AUCILLA AND WITHLACOOCHEE. A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT RAINFALL FORECASTS. 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. $$ 18-WOOL