ATLANTA FORECAST
Thursday: High: 58
Thursday night: Low: 52
Friday: High: 62
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
North Georgia is now under a flash flood watch as what should be the last of a series of storms makes its way toward the state.
A line of patchy, light rain is falling over the Southside at 7 p.m. and moving toward the northeast. North Georgia could see more mist and drizzle ahead of the system, but the heaviest rain should hold off until the overnight hours, Channel 2 Action News chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.
“If you are in by 11 p.m., you are going to be OK,” Burns said. “After 11 p.m. we’re going to see that widespread rain move back into North Georgia.”
Dense fog is also a possibility Thursday night, he said.
With another 1 to 2 inches expected, the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for all of North Georgia through 7 p.m. Friday.
"Soil conditions remain very saturated and river levels remain high across the area," the Weather Service said in an advisory. "Even a relatively small amount of rainfall will produce significant runoff and flooding of creeks and rivers. Even after the rain ends, high water could persist for several days after."
The morning commute will be a wet one, Burns said. And there could be a few rumbles of thunder, he said, although nothing severe is anticipated.
“The runoff is going to be relentless tomorrow across northern Georgia,” Burns said. “Give yourself a half-hour, 45 minutes extra to get where you’re going. It’s going to be Friday morning rush hour, and it’s going to be rain, heavy at times.”
By lunchtime, there could be a bit of a lull before a few more sprinkles move in for the afternoon. Then, once the cold front sweeps by, Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said the evening commute will look much better.
The weekend outlook is sunny, according to the latest forecast. Above average temps are expected, with highs in the upper 50s Saturday and the mid-60s Sunday.
“Two more days to go, one more really soggy system, and by Saturday morning it’s all going to be gone,” Monahan said.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Until then, North Georgia will have to put up with overcast skies and wet roads. Drivers around State Farm Arena downtown and Infinite Energy Arena in Gwinnett County can expect delays due to the Passion Conference being held at both locations Thursday and Friday.
After a series of crashes, the Thursday evening commute has calmed down. There are still heavy delays through Clayton and Henry counties, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
There is a 10-15-minute delay each way on I-75 between McDonough and Stockbridge, the Traffic Center reported.
And there are still jams on the I-285 Inner Loop at Ga. 400, where a crash was blocking two right lanes. Traffic is slow back to Roswell Road, according to the Traffic Center.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
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