A flash food watch is in effect for Chattanooga through Thursday afternoon.
Heavy rain was predicted to begin later Wednesday.
Officials said a slow-moving cold front will approach the Southern Appalachian Region late today and trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms over the region through Thursday.
Some of the storms may become strong to severe late Wednesday with the main threats being damaging winds, large hail and locally heavy rainfall leading to some flooding.
Here is the warning:
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA AND EAST TENNESSEE...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...CHEROKEE AND CLAY. IN EAST TENNESSEE... ANDERSON...BLEDSOE...BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...BRADLEY... CAMPBELL...CLAIBORNE...COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...EAST POLK... GRAINGER...HAMBLEN...HAMILTON.
..JEFFERSON...JOHNSON...KNOX... LOUDON...MARION...MCMINN...MEIGS...MORGAN...NW BLOUNT...NORTH SEVIER...NORTHWEST COCKE...NORTHWEST MONROE...RHEA...ROANE... SCOTT TN...SEQUATCHIE...SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST CARTER...SOUTHEAST GREENE...SOUTHEAST MONROE...UNICOI...UNION AND WEST POLK. * THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON * WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE WATCH AREA FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY. SINCE THE HEAVY RAINS MAY MOVE ACROSS THE SAME AREAS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE. RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN 2 AND 3 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS LIKELY. * LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS...STREET FLOODING AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE. WATCH FOR FLOODING OF ROADWAYS ESPECIALLY IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. RIVERS MAY ALSO RISE RAPIDLY. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. YOU SHOULD KEEP INFORMED...AND BE READY FOR QUICK ACTION IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR IF A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS ISSUED. IF YOU COME TO A CLOSED OR FLOODED ROAD...TURN AROUND! DON'T DROWN!