Tropical Storm Cindy to dump rain and wind in Atlanta area

Tropical Storm Cindy, which is the third storm to develop out of the Atlantic basin this year, is moving closer to the coast of Texas, but could make a turn and have a big impact on the weather in the Atlanta area.

The storm, which is of tropical storm strength is expected to make landfall near the Texas and Louisiana border very early Thursday morning.

At that point, it is expected to remain a tropical storm. From there, the forecast from the National Hurricane Center indicates it will move northward towards Arkansas, then by late Thursday it will move east towards Kentucky and Tennessee. At that time, the storm is expected to be north of Atlanta, but the effects will still be felt here.

While the impacts from Cindy will be stronger along the gulf coast from Louisiana to Florida, we will still feel the impacts locally. In the Atlanta area, our biggest concern will be heavy rain. We've already seen a lot of rain fall over the last few days, and more is coming. Most models are hinting at two inches of additional rain, but a few models indicate we could see over three inches.

This is not good considering all the rain that we've had over the last few days. Flooding will be a concern heading into the weekend. Be sure to stay aware of any standing water on area roadways.

The winds will also be strong, despite the low being over 300 miles away. Sustained winds late Friday and early Saturday are expected to be over 30mph, with winds gusting upwards of 45mph. Those strong winds should diminish as we head into Sunday.

After the remnants of Cindy exit, the chance for rain will remain. We likely won't have a completely dry day until the middle of next week.