A tornado touched down in Polk County near the Antioch community around 5:15 p.m., and appeared to be heading for Floyd County, 911 officials said.

Northwest Georgia can expect to receive several inches of rain from Hurricane Katrina as bands from the large storm fan out as it passes by. Heavy showers can be expected tonight and into tomorrow, with 2 to 4 inches of rain expected. The National Weather Service has issued a wind and flood advisory for Floyd County.

“I have been in contact with hydrologists from the National Weather Service this morning,” said EMA Director Scotty Hancock. “Our river levels are currently down and they are not predicting major flooding at this time. If we get 3-4 inches of rain, there may be some localized flooding in low-lying areas. It all depends on how the bands of rain from Katrina hit this area.”

Isolated tornadoes are a possibility. Residents are urged to keep informed of the weather situation by watching the television or listening to weather radio for frequent updates of the watches and warnings issued for this area. A tornado watch indicates tornadoes and other kinds of severe weather are possible in the next several hours. It does not mean tornadoes are imminent -- just that residents need to be alert, and to be prepared to go to safe shelter. A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted, or that Doppler radar indicates a thunderstorm circulation that can spawn a tornado.

For more information on the storm and conditions for our area, please visit the National Weather Service at www.nws.noaa.gov or contact Floyd County EMA at 706-236-5002