Heavy rain that drenched the Columbus area before daybreak Thursday moved northeastward into the Milledgeville and Eatonton areas later in the morning, dumping several inches of rain and prompting flash flood warnings.
Late Thursday morning, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Baldwin, Hancock and Putnam counties after an estimated 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in less than 3 hours.
South of there, a flash flood warning was posted shorty after noon Thursday for Laurens, Dodge and Treutlen counties, where the Weather Service said 3 to 4 inches of rain fell between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Forecasters were predicting an additional 2 to 3 inches through mid-afternoon in those counties.
Earlier, the Weather Service issued a significant weather advisory for Muscogee and Harris County until 7:45 a.m., calling for about an inch of rain.
Columbus recorded 5.73 inches of rain Wednesday, with the bulk of the rain — 5.06 inches — falling between 2:30 and 4:15 p.m. The Weather Service said the storms caused widespread street flooding in Columbus.
By late morning Thursday, the 24-hour rain tally in Columbus had surpassed 7 inches.
Parts of metro Atlanta, particularly the southern suburbs, could see up to 2 inches of rain through Thursday night, the Weather Service said.
Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz is predicting a 60 percent chance of rain for metro Atlanta Thursday and Friday, increasing to 80 percent Saturday.
Temperatures will be unseasonably cool, with highs expected to hold in the mid- to upper 70s through Saturday. Lows will be in the mid- to upper 60s.
Normal high for mid-August is 88, the normal low 71.
The weekend rain will likely linger into the first part of next week, with Nitz forecasting a 60 percent chance of rain Sunday and Monday.
About the Author
