Atlanta weather | Wind advisory for gusts to 35 mph
A wind advisory has been posted for Thursday afternoon for much of the state, including metro Atlanta, while there's a chance of thunderstorms in the extreme north Georgia.
The wind advisory, in effect from noon to 8 p.m., is for winds gusting to 35 mph -- conditions similar to those that downed numerous trees across metro Atlanta earlier in the week.
The National Weather Service has posted a severe thunderstorm watch for the northernmost counties of Georgia, effective until 1 p.m., but later dropped the watch for all but Habersham, Rabun and Stephens counties.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued just before 10 a.m. for Union, White, Towns, Fannin and Lumpkin counties as a line of strong storms crossed into Georgia from Tennessee. Quarter-size hail was reported in Hiawassee in Towns County just after 9:30 a.m.
The Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center has put northwest Georgia under a slight risk for severe storms later Thursday and Thursday night, but Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said she doesn't expect the storms to make it into metro Atlanta.
Minton's forecast for the metro area calls for partly cloudy skies Thursday with a 20 percent chance of isolated showers. Highs will be in the low 80s, with lows Thursday night in the low 60s.
The chance of rain goes up slightly to 30 percent on Friday, when highs should again be in the low 80s.
The weekend should be partly sunny and warmer, with highs in the mid-80s and lows in the 60s. While Saturday should be dry, Minton is forecasting a 20 percent chance of rain for Sunday.
