(Danville, Va.) – The National weather Service says there is a potential for “moderate to major flooding” along the Dan River through Monday.

Danville, Pittsylvania County and much of the state are under a Flash Flood Watch through the weekend, with rainfall amounts of between 4-to-6 inches expected locally.

Blacksburg meteorologist Nick Fillo says the rains Saturday and Sunday will inundate the river all the of way to the headwaters of the Dan River Basin in Patrick County. He says “all that water will eventually flow down the Dan River and we are expecting the potential for moderate to major flooding across the Dan River.”

Current projections have the river cresting at 27.2 feet Monday afternoon. That would be the highest level since Hurricane Fran in 1996, when the Dan crested at 28.65 feet.

Wind gusts of 30-to-35 miles per hour are possible throughout the weekend and that could cause downed trees and scattered power outages.

Fillo cautions that flows will be “extremely fast and very hazardous” and says people who live along the Dan River “should be prepared to move to higher ground.”