Scattered but strong thunderstorms that prompted warnings for several metro Atlanta counties when they developed Sunday evening continued throughout the night, and forecasters are predicting a good chance of more storms later in the day on Monday.
A cluster of storms that moved through west Cobb County dumped more than a half-inch of rain around 2 a.m., and lightning still lit up the predawn sky across much of the area at 5 a.m. Monday.
At 5:20 a.m., the heaviest rain was in the Fayetteville area, with lighter rain showing up on radar from the downtown area northward to Alpharetta.
A severe thunderstorm warning was posted Sunday evening for western DeKalb, central Fulton and northern Clayton counties as the storms moved from the eastern suburbs into the southern part of the metro area.
The warning was in effect until 7:45 p.m. for a storm that the National Weather Service said was capable of producing quarter-size hail and damaging winds up to 60 mph.
The Weather Service later issued a "significant weather advisory" for excessive lightning in Fulton, Clayton and Fayette counties until 8 p.m.
The storm was approaching downtown Atlanta at 7:15 p.m.
The Weather Service reported that a tree was blown down on Montreal Road in DeKalb County, and nickel- to quarter-size hail fell along Langford Parkway south of downtown just before 7:30 p.m.
Just before 9 p.m. Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration reported gate hold and taxi delays of 16 to 30 minutes at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport due to the storms. By 9:30, the FAA was reporting no significant delays as the storms had diminished.
Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton is predicting a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Monday and Tuesday, diminishing to 20 percent on Wednesday.
Highs will be in the mid-80s, with lows in the mid-60s.
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