The next few days will be perfect weather to carry an umbrella -- on your way to buy a boat.

As much as a half-foot of rain may fall by Sunday morning.

Rain was forecast to start Thursday night, and totals could reach 1 to 2 inches through Saturday morning, said George Wetzel, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City.

Rain will then get much heavier, adding another 3 to 4 inches.

“You’re in the area of 4 to 6 inches, and your heaviest rain will occur Saturday night into Sunday morning,” Wetzel said.

The weather service has issued a flood watch for much of Georgia in a band stretching as far north as Gainesville and as far south as Americus.

That flood watch is scheduled to expire Saturday evening, but that’s likely to be extended.

Wetzel said downstream communities may get the worst of it. The ground is still saturated from rainfall earlier this month, and water will run quickly from concrete and asphalt into the rivers and streams.

The Ocmulgee River in Macon is expected to rise about 10 feet by Monday afternoon, peaking at just above the minor flood stage of 18 feet.

Downstream communities are still flooding. A flood warning is in place for Dodge, Telfair and Wilcox counties through early Friday morning because the Ocmulgee River has been flooding in Abbeville. It peaked there at 13.26 feet, with minor to moderate flooding, and has been falling. It is projected to rise again with the new rain.

In Hawkinsville, between Macon and Abbeville, the Ocmulgee River is forecast to drop below 7 feet Friday night, then reach 19.8 feet on Tuesday -- just below flood stage of 20 feet. No forecasts past Tuesday have yet been done.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says people should be alert to the possibilities of flash flooding and be aware of streams, drainage channels and other areas that can flood suddenly. People should not walk into moving water and should not drive into flooded areas.

To contact writer Mike Stucka, call 744-4251.