The northern half of metro Atlanta is under a flood watch for this weekend, with forecasters predicting up to 3.5 inches of rain in parts of north Georgia between Friday night and Sunday.
Cobb, Cherokee, Bartow, Forsyth, Paulding, Gwinnett and north Fulton counties are included in the watch, which extends northward into the mountain counties. The watch goes into effect Saturday morning and runs through Sunday night.
“Where we’ve already got the saturated soil, there could be some widespread minor flooding, or possibly where you get training effects going in some areas, there could be some isolated very severe flooding,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said.
That rainy weekend forecast could spell trouble for crews hoping to do repaving work on metro Atlanta interstates as well as baseball fans hoping to see the Braves play the Mets at Turner Field.
The weather might cooperate for Friday night’s Braves game, but games scheduled for Saturday night and Sunday afternoon could be in jeopardy.
The National Weather Service said the heaviest rain will likely be across the northwest corner of the state.
“The main area of concern will be north of a line from Cedartown to Alpharetta to Homer,” the Weather Service said.
Minton said the rain would begin Friday as isolated showers popping up “as you’re trying to get home from work. The really intense rain is still gearing up for early Saturday morning.”
Minton put the chance of rain at 40 percent Friday, 90 percent Saturday and 60 percent Sunday, with a 30 to 40 percent chance of rain lingering into next Tuesday.
Weekend temperatures will be cooler than normal, topping out in the low 60s Saturday and mid-60s Sunday, with early morning lows in the low 50s Saturday and upper 40s Sunday.
Atlanta’s normal high for early May is 77, the normal low 56.
The city’s pollen count Friday was 47, down from 184 on Thursday.
That rainy weekend forecast could spell trouble for crews hoping to do repaving work on metro Atlanta interstates as well as baseball fans hoping to see the Braves play the Mets at Turner Field.
The weather might cooperate for Friday night’s Braves game, but games scheduled for Saturday night and Sunday afternoon could be in jeopardy.
Other events this weekend include Friday night’s Game 6 of the NBA Playoffs between the Hawks and the Pacers at Philips Arena. Just east of downtown, the Sweet Auburn Music Fest will be held Saturday and Sunday on Irwin Street.
If the rainy forecast allows it, road construction could block lanes on I-285 in both directions between Paces Ferry and Powers Ferry roads, as well the nearby ramps from I-75 southbound to I-285 eastbound and I-285 westbound to I-75 southbound.
Other road work, weather permitting, will include I-285 in both directions between Riverside Drive and Chamblee Dunwoody Road and I-285 southbound at I-20 in DeKalb County.
