MARIETTA — Heavy rains and gusty winds are expected in Cobb today as tropical storm Ida moves through southern Georgia.

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City has issued a flash flood watch for today and most of Wednesday morning. Forecasters are predicting between 3 to 5 inches of rain in Cobb, with some areas seeing up to six inches, said meteorologist Laura Griffith.

Winds could reach gusts of 30 to 35 miles per hour.

“We have very little instability in the atmosphere, so we’re not looking at thunderstorms or tornadoes. We’re just looking for this to be a rainfall event,” she said.

Residents in areas that flood easily should monitor the rainfall, Griffith said.

“Those who are near streams and creeks should be aware of the rainfall and how much more is to come,” she said. “We’re not expecting the kind of flooding we saw in September. Still, 3 to 5 inches of rain is a lot.”

Griffith said the portion of the Chattahoochee River that runs through Vinings isn’t expected to crest. The river is expected to rise to nine feet from the rain, she said. The river’s flood stage is 14 feet.

The National Weather Service did not issue a forecast for Sweetwater Creek in Austell by press time.

County officials were briefed on the weather Monday, and said they will closely monitor today’s weather, said Lanita Lloyd, director of the Cobb Emergency Management Agency.

Tropical Storm Ida won’t bring a drastic change in temperatures to the county. Highs today should be in the lows 60s, with lows in the mid 50s.

The rain is expected to taper off Wednesday morning, and a warming trend will continue through to the weekend.