Storms that brought heavy rain to North Georgia overnight and triggered severe weather alerts are making their way east on Thursday morning.
The rain has come to an end for the western Atlanta suburbs, and conditions are slowly improving across the rest of the region, according to Channel 2 Action News. There are no active severe weather warnings after the tornado watch for Meriwether and Troup counties was allowed to expire early.
“It’s not until the late morning when we start to see the clouds break up, and with more sunshine through the afternoon, that we are going to find improving weather,” Channel 2 meteorologist Jennifer Lopez said. “It’s not going to be a washout; it’s just for the morning.”
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
More than an inch of rain fell across some of the western suburbs as storms battered the region overnight. Light rain continues Thursday morning at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where rainfall accumulations were nearing an inch at 8 a.m.
While there was no severe weather damage reported in metro Atlanta, some of the early morning downpours were gusty. Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan recorded winds up to 40 mph in some of the storms as they moved across the region. A wind advisory issued for North Georgia expired at 8 a.m.
The heavy rain complicated matters at the start of the Thursday morning drive, contributing to multiple spinout crashes. Delays remain as volume builds, but there are no longstanding interstate closures at 8:30 a.m.
Lopez said by 10 a.m. most of the showers will be east of Atlanta, with just a slight 20% chance of a shower. Once that clears out, she expects the city to warm up under the sunshine. Thursday’s projected high is 73 degrees.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
“Parents, the afterschool activities are a go, but the fields could be wet,” Lopez said. “Make sure they take that allergy pill. Pollen count is going to be high.”
The daily pollen count, which reflects pollen levels recorded over the past 24 hours, is 3,801. Thursday is the second day this season to record a four-digit count in the extreme range following Wednesday’s count of 2,431 pollen particles per cubic meter of air.
Those levels are only expected to rise this weekend, with a string of dry and warm days in the forecast. Peak pollen season “is absolutely here,” Monahan said.
“The clear conditions are going to stay with us through tonight and right on into tomorrow,” Lopez said. “In fact, Friday is shaping up to be a beautiful day, and a nice-looking weekend with plenty of sunshine around for Saturday and Sunday.”
High temperatures this weekend should hover around 70 degrees, and there should be no rain to worry about into the start of next week, according to Channel 2.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
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Credit: WSBTV Videos
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