Storms leave Atlanta cooler, much wetter as roads slowly recover

Atlanta remains under an overcast sky and has cooled off considerably as a wave of strong storms moves out of the metro area, according to Channel 2 Action News.

While the storms weren’t severe, they did prompt thunderstorm warnings in nine northwest Georgia counties when the system entered the state earlier Thursday afternoon. Those warning all expired at 4:15 p.m.

It also dropped temperatures quickly in Atlanta. Ahead of the storms, the city hit 79 degrees, but it’s 67 only two hours later, according to Channel 2.

Large bowing segment in the line of storms moving into Gwinnett and Rockdale. Strong 30-50 mph winds possible. pic.twitter.com/q7kFrlAaAM
— Glenn Burns (@GlennBurnsWSB) May 9, 2019

The roads were already moving slowly before adding heavy rain and strong winds, so the evening commute has not been a fun one, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

Even after 6:30 p.m., the roads are still a mess. The good news is there aren’t any major wrecks blocking more than a lane on any metro Atlanta interstate. Since the downpours are letting up, traffic should be able to recover quickly, the Traffic Center reported.

Impressive wall cloud over Villa Rica earlier this afternoon. Nothing developed from it fortunately. pic.twitter.com/UiCBHMxtTr
— Glenn Burns (@GlennBurnsWSB) May 9, 2019

This kicks off a wet weather pattern that will have North Georgia socked in the next few days, according to Channel 2. Both Thursday and Friday have a 60 percent chance of rain, and the chance of showers and storms increases to 70 percent Saturday and 80 percent Sunday.

“That’s a lot of (rain)drops to track,” Monahan said. “It’s going to be pretty wet for us as we head through the end of the week and into the weekend.”

For the second day in a row, the pollen count was a moderate 69. Tree pollen including hickory, sycamore, oak, pine and willow are the top contributors, and grass and weed pollen is low, according to Atlanta Allergy and Asthma, the organization that tracks the daily pollen count.

The cold front that’s touching off the storms Thursday is not going anywhere over the weekend, Monahan said. Showers and storms are likely again Friday afternoon as North Georgia waits for the front to move in.

Through Friday, areas north and west of Atlanta could see a half-inch to an inch of rainfall. Monahan said inches more could fall by Sunday night, which could dampen your Mother’s Day plans.

“We've got this high down to the south that’s just going to block this front,” he said. “Rain and storms spread across the area on Saturday, and even wetter weather on Sunday.”