Severe thunderstorms possible this afternoon

By MIKE MORRIS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A cold front streaming southeast from the Tennessee Valley region is expected to reach Georgia Saturday afternoon, and could bring severe storms to metro Atlanta, forecasters warned.

The National Weather Service said isolated severe thunderstorms are possible Saturday afternoon and evening north of a line from Columbus to Dublin, an area that includes all of metro Atlanta.

The Weather Service said that while the main threat would be large hail and damaging winds, "an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out."

The storms covered much of the western half of Tennessee at 9 a.m. Saturday, stretching southward into western Alabama.

The forecast for metro Atlanta calls for a 50 percent chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms, decreasing to 40 percent Saturday night and Sunday. Highs will be in the low 80s Saturday and mid-70s on Sunday, with overnight lows in the mid-60s.

Monday will be mostly cloudy, with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms and highs in the low 70s.

Partly sunny skies and highs in the upper 70s are predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday, with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms returning to the forecast for Thursday.