Rain bands from Tropical Storm Ida could reach North Georgia on Monday evening as the deadly storm continues its path across the Southeast.
At least one person was killed as Ida moved inland along the coast of Louisiana after making landfall Sunday as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane, officials said. The storm, which reached peak winds of 150 mph, moved ashore near Port Fourchon on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and is tied for the most intense hurricane on record to strike the state.
As of 5 a.m. Monday, Ida was located over southwestern Mississippi and has been downgraded to a tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. On its current track, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz expects the center of Ida to pass by North Georgia on Tuesday.
“As it moves across land, the wind dies down, but the heavy rain, the flash flood threat does not,” he said. “That continues, and embedded in these (rain) bands are isolated tornadoes.”
Ida’s outer rain bands are expected to reach North Georgia by 9 p.m. Monday, when the risk for tornadoes goes up, according to Nitz. Ahead of their arrival, Nitz said North Georgia will be mostly cloudy with a 30% chance for a stray shower or thunderstorm through the early evening hours.
Rain chances increase late Monday and into the overnight hours, he said.
“During the day tomorrow, especially afternoon and evening, some of these rain bands will produce very heavy rain, and the risk of some more isolated tornados as the remnants of Ida pass to our north,” Nitz said.
Nitz expects the storm to make its closest pass around noon Tuesday, but the risk of severe weather continues into the evening. Damaging wind gusts, heavy rain and the threat of a tornado are all very common with landfalling hurricanes, he said.
The severe weather threat is a Level 2, on a scale of one to five, for Metro Atlanta and areas to the south and west. The National Weather Service considers the threat for the rest of North Georgia to be a Level 1.
Nitz expects the main impact to be heavy rain, with 3 to 5 inches of accumulation possible before Ida pulls away from the state. The Weather Service has scheduled a flash flood watch to go into effect Tuesday morning for parts of northwest Georgia, including Cherokee and Bartow counties.
All that rain should come to an end once Ida moves away from the state on Wednesday, Nitz said.
“By late Wednesday into Thursday, much drier air comes in and more moderate temperatures,” he said. “We’re talking lows in the 60s, highs in the mid 80s, lots of sunshine and dry air for the end of the week and into the weekend.”
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Heavy rain and the potential for flash flooding could make a mess of things on the roads Tuesday. On Monday morning, pavement is dry and interstates are delay-free, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
“Overall no major issues, but we do have an investigation going on in Atlanta,” traffic reporter Heather Catlin said at 6:30 a.m.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Police activity has Marietta Street shut down in both directions south of North Avenue. The Traffic Center is advising drivers to avoid the area.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
» Download The Atlanta Journal-Constitution app for weather alerts on-the-go.
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