One day of severe storms down, one to go.
The metro Atlanta area was pounded by serious storms Tuesday, as predicted by the National Weather Service and Channel 2 Action News meteorologists.
The day started with lightning strikes in Henry County bringing down a tree and starting at least four fires, Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. High winds brought down trees in DeKalb County and in Atlanta, cutting power to hundreds of homes.
Heavy rains soaked the metro area for hours, leading the Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning and multiple roads being shut down. The Cobb County government tweeted Tuesday evening that it had received reports of at least 13 flooded roads, and several had been closed.
Around 2 p.m., Cherokee County authorities reported that Victory Drive was shut down after Owl Creek flooded. About an hour later, more flooding was reported in two left lanes of I-75 North just past Mt. Paran Road.
Two water rescues were carried out by Atlanta fire after cars became stuck on flooded roads, Channel 2 reported. A Dodge Challenger stalled on Allene Avenue in southwest Atlanta, but firefighters were able to push it out of the road. In northwest Atlanta, a woman called 911 because she was trapped in her car on East Pine Valley Road. Emergency responders were able to pull her out of the water with the help of a tow truck, Channel 2 reported.
The flash flood warning across the metro area will remain in effect until 8:45 p.m., though the rain had mostly cleared by 5 p.m. Power had been restored to all but a handful of Atlanta customers by 5:30 p.m., according to Georgia Power.
As storms rolled across the entire state, a tornado watch was issued for a long list of counties. Several were put under tornado warnings during the day, but those storms passed south of the metro area.
Though Tuesday’s heavy rain had mostly moved on in time for the evening commute, Monahan said North Georgia won’t be able to put the storms in the rearview mirror. Another round is in Wednesday’s forecast, and the risk for severe weather is greater for Atlanta.
The Weather Service has issued a Level 3 severe weather outlook for most of North Georgia on Wednesday. The storms will be more scattered, but any that develop have the potential to turn severe, Monahan said.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
“This is another (storm system) that’s going to come in the afternoon and into the evening hours Wednesday, into the very early morning hours Thursday,” he said. “Large Level 3 risk for damaging wind gusts and large hail. A tornado possibility is there as well.”
For Atlantans tired of the sodden weather conditions, there is a light at the end of the tunnel: No rain is predicted over the weekend.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
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Credit: WSBTV Videos
