Tropical Depression Fred swept through North Georgia on Tuesday, its rain bands dumping inches of rain and spawning severe storms all across the region.
The risk of tornadoes ended early in the afternoon for most of North Georgia.
In metro Atlanta, heavy rainfall and flooding were the most significant of Fred’s impacts. The tropical depression dumped as much as 4 inches of rain in some areas, swelling creeks and streams and prompting numerous local flood warnings.
Big Creek near Alpharetta rose above 5 feet on Tuesday morning and was nearing its flood stage of 7 feet, according to the National Weather Service. Minor flooding is expected to continue through Friday morning.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
In DeKalb County, Peachtree Creek Greenway was closed in Brookhaven due to the potential for flooding. Officials wary of the storm’s strain on the county’s aging wastewater system asked residents to report any indication of spills as soon as they see them by calling 770-270-6243 any time, 24 hours a day.
Flooding also caused problems for commuters on I-85 at Jimmy Carter Boulevard and on I-285 at Buford Highway, where motorists slushed through inches of standing water.
⚠️TRAVEL ADVISORY 8:24a Norcross: This 🔽 is an example of how rough the #ATLtraffic commute has been. Only the HOT Express Lane is exempt from standing water I-85/sb before Jimmy Carter Blvd (Exit 99) @wsbradio #jamcam @wsbtv #traffictracker2 pic.twitter.com/unHCf8kzjx
— Mark McKay (@mckayWSB) August 17, 2021
For much of the city, only light to moderate showers remained Tuesday afternoon. A flash flood watch remained in effect through 8 a.m. Wednesday.
While there were no reports of tornadoes inside the Perimeter, gusty winds and soggy soil brought down trees and damaged power lines. At one point Tuesday morning, more than 3,600 Georgia EMC members were without power in metro Atlanta. Georgia Power was reporting outages for nearly 7,000 customers across the state.
In northeast Atlanta’s Candler Park neighborhood, a tree fell on a house and caused a gas leak on Iversen Street.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Possible tornadoes were reported south of the city in Meriwether County and in Banks County to the north. Another severe thunderstorm caused damage in Oconee and Greene counties.
@wsbtv @BradNitzWSB Damage from Tropical Depression Fred in Oconee County, GA, this occurred at about 7AM either due to strong wind gusts or maybe even a possible spin up tornado off of Astondale Road. pic.twitter.com/C8lQXckyye
— Alferia (@Alferia_) August 17, 2021
The National Weather Service is expected to conduct surveys to confirm the severity of Tuesday’s storms.
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