Evening storms expected as wet, humid streak continues

It’s been a muggy week, and this weekend isn’t expected to provide much relief for North Georgia.

There’s a 60% chance of rain Saturday afternoon and a 30% chance on Sunday. And though temperatures are expected to be a few degrees below average for this time of year, the air will be oppressively thick, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said.

Take along the umbrella for your afternoon outings. Scattered storms will develop later today. Some will produce heavy rain. pic.twitter.com/ioSH1aIval
— Eboni Deon, WSB (@EboniDeonWSB) July 13, 2019

Saturday morning started off nice, but it could get soggy as another round of heavy rain, gusty winds and cloud-to-ground lightning moves through North Georgia later today.

Low end threat for isolated severe storms for far east Georgia this afternoon and evening. Heavy rain, gusty winds and lightning are main threats. pic.twitter.com/AsyeSUG3Jc
— Eboni Deon, WSB (@EboniDeonWSB) July 13, 2019

While none of those conditions are ideal, the weather in Georgia doesn’t hold a candle to the potentially “catastrophic” conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, where Hurricane Barry is barreling toward Louisiana.

It was upgraded from a tropical storm late Saturday morning.

The storm may not sound too bad since it hasn’t hit hurricane-level speeds, but Nitz said people looking at storm labels are missing the point.

Latest: Barry is now a Cat 1 hurricane, max winds up to 75 mph. Still a slow mover but now moving NW at 6 mph. 40 miles south of Lafayette, LA pic.twitter.com/wfNox0d688
— Eboni Deon, WSB (@EboniDeonWSB) July 13, 2019

“The wind speed is not the big story here,” he said. “It’s all of this heavy rain that will continue Saturday, Sunday and even into Monday before finally dissipating. It’s really a perfect storm that is set up for flooding.”

Worse yet, he said the region’s rivers are already filled to the brim, and this storm is expected to dump a foot or two of rain on the Louisiana coastline.

“(The Mississippi River) is already near flood stage, and that’s before (Tropical Storm) Barry,” Nitz said. “On top of the flooding conditions that are already there, we’re going to add a ton of rainfall — 10 to 20 inches, possibly even isolated spots of 25 inches.”

The Mississippi River is already at flood stage and very heavy rain is coming over the next few days. As much as 10-20 inches (isolated 25") is possible in parts of Louisiana as Barry move inland.

I'm tracking the storm live at 12pm/4pm/5pm/6pm/11pm. pic.twitter.com/Ta4ud8qPtq
— Brad Nitz (@BradNitzWSB) July 12, 2019

The storm should bring rainfall to coastal Mississippi and Alabama, but it shouldn’t have much of an impact on North Georgia, Channel 2 meteorologist Eboni Deon said.

The storm appears to be heading northwest and should reach Arkansas and western Tennessee by Sunday, she said.

Georgia Department of Transportation plans to have crews scattered about metro Atlanta, which could affect travel times this weekend.

A right lane of I-20 West will be blocked for roadwork near I-285 in Fulton County from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. , GDOT said.

Drivers could also see delays near the I-285/Ga. 400 interchange as road work continues after being suspended for the July 4 weekend.

Fulton County: Overnight Road Closure Planned on Roswell Road for the Transform 285/400 Project https://t.co/DKJfZ4mife @wsbTraffic @cbs46traffic @Fox5atlanta @11alivenews @GaDeptofTrans @511Georgia @ATLTrafficLady #WorkingForYou #KnowBeforeYouGo
— Georgia DOT ATL (@GDOTATL) July 12, 2019

The moderate chance of rain will continue into next week, with a 30% chance on Monday and a 20% chance of scattered storms on Tuesday, Deon said. Temperatures should peak in the upper 80s for the next several days, but it’ll feel even warmer outside with the high humidity.