What a difference a year makes.
This time last year Atlanta was staring at a rainfall deficit for the first six months of the year of nearly 5 inches. Lake Lanier was about 7 feet below full pool, on its way to being 15 feet below full pool by December.
Fast forward a year.
The thunderstorm that dumped .64 inch of rain into Atlanta’s official rain gauge at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Monday afternoon pushed the city’s rainfall total for the year to 37.18 inches, surpassing the 37.03 inches of rain that fell in all of 2012. And the year’s not quite half over.
Atlanta’s average rainfall for the year through July 24 is 23.71 inches.
Lake Lanier’s level is about a foot above full pool, or 8 feet above the same time last year. Lake Allatoona, the metro area’s other large reservoir, is right at full pool.
And more rain is on the way.
There’s a 50/50 chance of more rain on Tuesday, and a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday through Friday, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said. The risk of rain then climbs to 40 percent Saturday, she said.
Highs this week will be mostly in the upper 80s, with lows in the low 70s, Minton said.
About the Author
