Scattered showers, storms today

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Morning fog and clouds with a few showers should give way to partly cloudy skies with scattered storms in the metro Atlanta area Sunday afternoon, Channel 2 Action News Meteorologist Brad Nitz said. But the areas that get the storms will see very heavy rainfall, he said.

Drier air will move into north Georgia late Sunday, Nitz said, and that will end rain chances for the next several days.

For the first half of the work week, expect mostly sunny skies and lower humidity, he said. Highs remain in the low 90s.

Don't expect things to cool off just because of a little rain. A major cool down won't happen for another six weeks, Channel 2 Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns said.

Nearly a half-foot of rain caused major damage in parts of northeast Georgia on Saturday.

Officials in White County hope to be spared from more heavy rainfall, which caught the area by surprise Saturday and wiped out one of the area's few fast-food restaurants.

In Cleveland, heavy rains were being blamed for a huge hole through concrete that nearly swallowed part of a Sonic restaurant Saturday afternoon and also caused damage at a car wash next door, David Murphy, director of emergency service for White County, told the AJC.

An area of concrete about 250 feet by 20 feet opened up, forcing emergency officials to evacuate the area, Murphy said. A water pipe underground is believed to have burst due to the heavy rainfall, he said. No one was injured.

"They’ll be out of business for quite some time, along with a car wash that’s adjacent," Murphy said.

Rainfall estimates for the area show as much as 7 inches of rain may have fallen in the area, NWS Meteorologist Robert Garcia told the AJC. Just over 4.5 inches of rain fell in Dahlonega, Garcia said.

"We need the rain, but we also need our milkshakes," Murphy said.

A flood warning that was issued Saturday night for a Gwinnett County creek has been canceled.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, Suwanee Creek was at 7.9 feet and the flood level is 8 feet, the National Weather Service said.

The creek was below flood stage Sunday morning and falling, Nitz said.