More heavy rain is expected in the metro Atlanta area Thursday, and the day is starting with a fog advisory.
The morning low is expected to be 61 degrees, with a high of 70 during the day -- the first day of winter.
Commuters should give themselves extra time to get to work, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said Wednesday night. There is a fog advisory until 8 a.m., he said.
Downpours that left more than an inch of rain in the area ended Wednesday night, but the showers will be back Thursday, with the bulk of precipitation coming between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., he said.
Heavy rain drenched the area Wednesday afternoon, creating hazardous conditions on roads through the evening commute.
Rising water on LaVista Road in DeKalb County trapped a motorist, and DeKalb emergency officials were on the scene to rescue the stranded driver. The man had to climb out of a van when the front of the vehicle became submerged underwater. He told Channel 2 that he was driving when a wall of water pushed him to the side of the road.
The rain could linger through the holiday weekend and into next week, forecasters said.
Winter officially begins at 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, but this year's winter solstice will feel a lot like spring, with heavy rain and thunderstorms and temperatures nearly 20 degrees warmer than normal.
"Seventy degrees is the record high for Dec. 22 set all the way back in 1889," Nitz said.
Atlanta's normal high for the first day of winter is 53, the normal low 36.
The chance of rain diminishes to 20 percent on Friday and Saturday, but climbs back to 40 percent by Christmas Day.
Highs will be in the mid-60s on Friday, but will cool a bit over the weekend, topping out in the upper 50s on Christmas Eve and in the low 50s on Sunday, Nitz said.
Overnight lows should be in the 50s through Friday, with weekend lows in the 40s.
Since the rain began on Tuesday, most parts of metro Atlanta have recorded about a half-inch of rain, but some areas of north Georgia could receive 2 to 3 inches, forecasters said.
--Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.
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