North Georgia is at risk of severe weather when a destructive winter storm reaches the region late Wednesday, but its impacts won’t be anything like those experienced in other parts of the South.
Five tornadoes were confirmed across north Texas as of Tuesday afternoon, but potentially a dozen may have touched down, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas. Tornadoes were also reported in parts of Oklahoma and in Louisiana, where a child was killed and his mother remains missing.
Heavy rain will be the primary local impact associated with the storm system, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.
“There is a risk of a strong storm, that risk is very low,” Monahan said. “We are all going to have heavy rain, though. That will be moving in especially after dark tonight, through the overnight hours and moving out by sunrise tomorrow morning.”
Monahan is expecting widespread rainfall totals of an inch or more, and some areas could record more than 2 inches before the rain lets up Thursday morning.
“The good news is, on the updated timeline I’m looking at this morning, it’s going to have most of that rain long gone and out of here for the heart of the morning commute tomorrow,” he said.
The most significant severe weather threat will stay to the west Wednesday, impacting parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. By midnight, Monahan said storms will move into Georgia, but the risk for severe weather is primarily south of I-20.
Only counties south of Atlanta are included in the Weather Service’s Level 1 warned area, the lowest level out of five.
“We’re talking about maybe an isolated strong storm late tonight through about 2 or 3 a.m. tomorrow morning,” Monahan said. “Strong wind gusts, heavy rain, that’s going to be the main impact for this system. We’ll keep an eye out for a brief spinup tornado, but that risk is very low here in North Georgia.”
Localized flooding is also possible. A flood watch has been issued for counties in northwest Georgia through Thursday morning.
Ahead of the storm’s arrival, North Georgia will stay cloudy and cool Wednesday with a project high of 51 degrees after a start in the 40s. Monahan expects mainly dry conditions through about 5 p.m., when the first showers will start to develop.
Conditions should improve quickly Thursday.
“It’s going to start a little stormy, a little rainy, especially very early in the morning before the sun comes up, but then we quickly clear out,” he said. “Seven hours of sun on your Thursday, and Friday looks like a gorgeous end of the week with lots of sunshine. Temperatures, they are going to be on the cooler side for the end of the week.”
Behind the storm system, Monahan is calling for lows in the 30s Friday morning, and afternoon highs in the 40s both days this weekend.
— The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
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