Rain ends, fog moves in

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The rain that doused metro Atlanta on Tuesday tapered off overnight, leaving patchy dense fog for Wednesday's morning commute.

The fog reduced visibility to a quarter-mile in some areas, while other spots were relatively fog-free. At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the visibility was a half-mile at 3 a.m. but had improved to 3 miles by 5 a.m. No weather-related flight delays were reported.

Several wrecks occurred in the fog, including one just before 5:30 that blocked three lanes of the southbound Downtown Connector near I-20.

So far in October, Atlanta has recorded 8.39 inches of rain, including 2.02 inches on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. That amount is the second most during the month of October since 1878, when that type of record-keeping began, said meteorologist Frank Taylor.

The wettest October came in 1995 when 11.04 inches  fell, he said.

"We may have the wettest climatological fall we've ever had in Atlanta," Taylor said.

More rain fell throughout the metro area on Tuesday, prompting a flood watch for dozens of counties that ended in the early evening.

Although no major flooding was reported, the Weather Service issued a flood warning for Big Creek near Alpharetta.  The warning affects both Fulton and Forsyth counties and lasts until Thursday morning. At 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, the water level in the creek was 7.59 feet. Flood level is 7 feet, and the water was expected to rise another inch or two later Wednesday morning, meteorologists said.

That level is still far below the 15.41 feet the creek reached during September's record floods.

High temperatures reached only the 50s on Tuesday, but expect a warmer Wednesday, Taylor said.

"Believe it or not, after the morning, clouds should be decreasing," Taylor said. "If we're lucky, we should see some sunshine by the afternoon."

But don't put away the umbrellas yet. Showers will return by Thursday night or Friday, and there's a 50 percent chance of rain for Halloween night.

Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.