A marginal risk of isolated severe storms, initially expected to impact areas north of Atlanta, was expanded to include most of metro Atlanta.
The storms could bring heavy downpours, damaging winds, dime- to quarter-sized hail and cloud to ground lightning, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop along and ahead of a cold front that will push into northwest and central Georgia late Thursday.
While storms could turn strong to severe in Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Hall counties, areas north of metro Atlanta have the greatest risk of severe weather.
Parts of Dawson and Union counties already saw small hail mixed in with heavy rain Thursday afternoon.
Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico poured into metro Atlanta early Thursday in the form of humidity. Parts of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties and Atlanta started to get showers about 9:30 a.m.
A line of showers is expected to return about 10 p.m. in Calhoun and Rome, hit parts of the north suburbs and Griffin and continue sporadically overnight.
The wet weather should come to a stop before many Atlantans wake up Friday, Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said.
“By the time we get into early hours of the morning, the rain is done,” she said. “So your rush hour should stay dry tomorrow morning, with clouds clearing.”
Temperatures were 76 degrees in Atlanta, 63 degrees in Blairsville and 78 degrees in Griffin just at 7:30 p.m.
Highs will again reach the 80s Friday and Saturday and drop to the mid-70s Sunday.
“We’re going to see sunshine and clearing out during [Friday],” Minton said. “And it’s going to be making for a nice weekend, with sunshine Saturday and partly cloudy on Sunday.”
