Thousands without power as storms move through metro Atlanta

Grab that umbrella if you’re heading out because heavy rains are moving through metro Atlanta.

Flash flood warnings were issued for Clayton, Coweta, DeKalb, Fayette, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties on Saturday afternoon.

The storms also caused thousands of power outages across the state.

As of 4:30 p.m., about 4,100 electric membership cooperative customers were reported without electricity, a Georgia EMC spokeswoman said.

Another 5,000-plus Georgia Power customers are without power, a company spokesman said. Most of those people live in metro Atlanta.

The power companies urged homeowners to be cautious of downed power lines while picking up downed limbs or other debris from their yards.

Heavy rain is expected to linger in North Georgia through at least Tuesday, Channel 2 meteorologist Eboni Deon said.

Rain chances will remain high each day through Wednesday. The last 3 weeks of dry conditions will prevent widespread flood concerns, but isolated flooding will be possible where very heavy rain falls in a short amount of time. pic.twitter.com/xaTM0qMK5g
— NWS Atlanta (@NWSAtlanta) June 6, 2019

“It’s one of those days where you probably want to hold off on heading outside,” Channel 2 meteorologist Eboni Deon said. “It is going to be a messy start to the day.”

While the storms shouldn’t be too severe, Deon said the heavy downpours will make it difficult to see on the roads. She suggests leaving early and giving yourself plenty of time if you have somewhere to be.

It’s also pretty dark out, so be sure to use those headlights if you’re driving.

The constant waves of storms and showers are thanks to an area of low pressure that’s been lingering west of Georgia and ushering in waves of downpours.

This cut off low means a very soggy (at times) weekend across north GA! I'm updating the forecast now on @wsbtv and @KatieWallsWSB tracks the rain tomorrow morning starting at 4:30am tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/SY58eXQnIa
— Brian Monahan, WSB (@BMonahanWSB) June 7, 2019

Sunday should be a repeat of Saturday, with showers beginning slightly earlier. The rain is expected to begin about 8 a.m and continue for most of the day.

Through Tuesday evening, all of metro Atlanta should see between 2 and 4 inches of rain, according to the latest Channel 2 forecast.

UPDATED Rainfall outlook through Tuesday PM -- We're expecting widespread 2-4" across N GA with higher amounts possible in NE GA. Since we've been dry as of late, the flooding risk will remain limited, though ponding will be possible in heavy downpours. pic.twitter.com/L6aQwoTd4s
— Katie Walls (@KatieWallsTV) June 7, 2019

With all the rain, the Georgia Department of Transportation does not have many daytime lane closures planned. The main street to avoid this weekend is Peachtree Road between Peachtree Avenue and Pharr Road, which will have a lane closed for sidewalk repairs, GDOT said.

In Peachtree City, a sinkhole at the intersection of Ga. 54 and Ga. 74 is causing standing water and heavy delays, authorities said.

There are drier times on the horizon, but North Georgia will have to wait until the tail-end of next week. For now, just keep an umbrella by your side.