Isaac to bring rain to metro Atlanta
Tropical Storm Isaac could bring up to 8 inches of rainfall to metro Atlanta this week, along with strong winds and flooding, although a lot depends on the path the storm takes, meteorologists said.
Georgia Power said Saturday that crews will be leaving Atlanta for Florida on Sunday morning to help with any outages caused by the storm.
As clouds roll in Sunday and Monday, the chance of rain will increase, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz. A 20 percent chance of rain is expected Monday, but that rises to 60 to 70 percent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
"It looks now like Isaac will bring several inches of rain to our area beginning Tuesday and likely increasing Wednesday and Thursday, " Nitz said. "Four- to 8-inch rainfall totals are possible with winds likely 30 to 40 mph." Nitz, however, said the rainfall is "highly dependent" on Isaac's path.
National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Lynn also said Isaac could give Georgia a "punch." It has arleady caused flooding and some deaths in the Caribbean, and threatens Florida as it hosts the Republican National Convention in Tampa.
If the storm develops into a hurricane as expected and its track goes over central or eastern Alabama, that would place the more severe weather along the eastern side of the storm over Atlanta sometime Wednesday, Lynn said. The storm also could spawn tornadoes, he said.
"Now is the time to prepare," Lynn said.
Depending on the actual storm track, the heavy rains could lead to minor to moderate flooding in some parts of Georgia, said Wylie Quillian, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service's Southeast Forecast Center.
Forecasters predict about a 25 percent chance of moderate flooding in Alpharetta and Big Creek , and lower odds of flooding in Milledgeville, Austell and Macon.
As the clouds roll in, the daytime temperatures will drop to the mid 80s from upper 80s. The nighttime lows will be in the upper 60s and low 70s.
Staff writer Christopher Seward contributed to this report.
