Chance of tornadoes in Cobb Tuesday, heavy weather expected Wednesday

Jan. 3—The National Weather Service placed Cobb County under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Tuesday. Cobb was one of nearly 50 Georgia counties under a tornado watch into Tuesday night.

The tornado watch came in addition to a hazardous weather outlook for northwest Georgia on Tuesday afternoon, including the possibility of severe thunderstorms that "will be capable of producing damaging wind gusts, brief tornadoes, and frequent lightning," according to the NWS.

Cobb was also under a hazardous weather outlook. Heavy rain and winds, lightning and brief tornados could be seen across north and central Georgia.

On Wednesday, storms could be "strong to severe, capable of producing damaging wind gusts, brief tornadoes, and frequent lightning," the NWS said.

Heavy rainfall could cause localized flash flooding and river flooding.

On Wednesday, the forecasted high is 70 degrees and the chance of precipitation is 90%. Wind gusts could reach as high as 20 mph. New rainfall between a quarter and half of an inch is possible.

Showers, and possibly a thunderstorm, are possible before 1 p.m. Wednesday. In the afternoon, there is a chance of showers and storms between 1 and 4 p.m., then a slight chance of rain after 4 p.m.

The latter half of the week is expected to see cooler, clearer conditions. Thursday and Friday will have highs in the 50s, with lows in the 30s at night. Conditions are expected to be sunny and breezy.

Check mdjonline.com for more updates throughout the week.