After waves of showers and thunderstorms made for a soggy Tuesday, more widespread rain is in the forecast Wednesday.
According to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan, the heaviest rain won’t arrive until Wednesday afternoon, unlike on Tuesday, which saw the bulk of the shower activity during the morning hours. The end result will be the same: a wet day.
“We’ve got another kind of washout day across North Georgia,” Monahan said. “It’s going to be tough to get the outdoor plans in, but we’re trending in the right direction by the weekend.”
Showers are scattered Wednesday morning, but Monahan said there is still the potential for trouble on the roads. Nearly 2 inches of rain has fallen in Atlanta since Monday, and any additional rainfall could contribute to ponding, he said. A flash flood watch remains in effect through late Wednesday night.
“We’ve had already more than a month’s worth of rain in some parts of the area,” Monahan said. “October is usually our driest month. It definitely hasn’t been this year.”
Monahan expects " good coverage of scattered downpours” by 5 p.m. Wednesday, and there could be thunder and lightning. The rain will continue overnight, sticking around for the Thursday morning drive, he said.
Monahan said all this rain is the work of an upper level low parked to the west of the state, which is scooping in plenty of tropical moisture. Metro Atlanta won’t see a change in the wet weather pattern until Thursday afternoon, when drier air starts to filter in, he said.
“Not only will that rain impact trend down, the amount of sunshine, that’s going to come up as we go through the next few days,” he said. “Today, a couple hours of sun, a little more on Thursday and by Friday about half of the day will have some sunshine.”
Showers are just 40% likely Friday, according to Channel 2. Over the weekend, Monahan said the forecast is looking a whole lot better with limited rain chances Saturday and mostly sunshine Sunday.
The Wednesday morning drive is off to a jammed start in the northwest suburbs with a crash blocking I-575. All northbound lanes were shut down at Ga. 140 at 6:45 a.m., according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
Commuters headed north can use Marietta Highway as an alternate to get into Canton.
In Kennesaw, a sinkhole has opened along Ben King and Carrie Farm roads after a water main break in the area, authorities said. Both roads are closed until repairs are made.
» 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.
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