FOX 5 NY's meteorologist Audrey Puente explains the difference between flash flood alerts and flash flood warnings.

When the National Weather Service Office issues a flood watch, or a flash flood watch, the forecast has the potential for rainfall of one inch per hour or repeatedly over a span of a few or many hours. These locations indicated by the watch should be aware of their locations and surroundings regarding the flooding potential.

Like tornadoes, there's a warning system in place for flooding and flash flooding. And it can be just as confusing. Here's the difference.

The NWS issued a coastal flood alert for San Francisco and surrounding areas effective from 7 PM Monday until midnight Tuesday.

North Bay Interior Valleys and San Francisco Bay Shoreline as well as San Francisco County are the focus of a coastal flood advisory released at 2:06 a.m. on Monday by the National Weather

The flood watch, in effect until 7 p.m. Sunday, applies to Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Hays, Kerr, Llano, Travis and Williamson counties.

A flood warning or a flash flood warning is more urgent than a watch, so drivers and pedestrians should avoid flooded streets and move to higher ground if a warning is issued. National Weather Service