UPDATE [3:07 p.m.]: A flash flood watch has been issued for 50 North Georgia counties, including all of metro Atlanta, until 7 a.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
The counties under the watch include Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett and Henry counties. For a full list of counties, click here.
ORIGINAL STORY: Light showers Tuesday are just the start of the wet weather that's to come.
North Georgia is in for a rainy and stormy latter half of the week, according to Channel 2 Action News. The chance of rain jumps from 40% Tuesday to 60% Wednesday and cranks all the way up to 100% Thursday.
“The rainfall is not going to be light,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “Two to four inches of rain are possible. That is the kind of rain ... that could bring some rivers, creeks and streams up to flood stage.”
A flood watch for counties north of metro Atlanta does not go into effect until Wednesday morning. Monahan said rain is already falling there Tuesday, but much of the heavier stuff will hold off until later in the day Wednesday.
“This morning's commute, I think, is going to be OK in most spots,” he said. “We do have a little bit of wet roadway, a little bit of wet pavement up in the North Georgia mountains.”
Even the Wednesday morning commute should be trouble-free, he said. Wednesday’s evening commute may also come out unscathed if the heaviest rain delays its arrival until that evening.
Thursday will be a different story.
“If you've got plans Thursday, plan on lots of extra time,” Monahan said.
Nearly all of North Georgia will be under a Level 1 risk for severe weather beginning Wednesday night and continuing Thursday morning, according to Channel 2. The storms will move from west to east.
Strong wind gusts are possible as a strong cold front ushers in heavy rain, and Monahan said there is even a low chance of a brief spin-up tornado.
Springlike temperatures will accompany the springlike storms. While Tuesday won’t be quite as warm as the day before, which tied for a record high at 76, temps are still expected to reach the upper 60s, according to Channel 2.
The average high for this time of year is 54 degrees. Atlanta surpassed that mark before sunrise.
Wednesday and Thursday will also see highs in the mid- to upper 60s before colder weather moves back in, he said. By Friday, Atlanta will likely stay just short of 50 degrees.
With only isolated showers in the forecast Tuesday, the morning drive should not face any added challenges. Volume is building, but interstates are delay-free to start the commute, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
No major incidents have been reported as of 6 a.m., the Traffic Center reported.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
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