Friday is starting cool and dry, but rain moves in by the late morning, and the good news is that the severe storm threat for this afternoon has diminished.
Scattered showers will start to filter into the metro closer to lunchtime and gradually increase as the day goes on, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said. Closer to 4 p.m., more aggressive storms will develop as a warm front lifts through the area and raises temperatures to near 60 degrees.
That warm air will then clash with a cold front that will push in from the west, creating the potential for severe storms that should clear out by 6 p.m.
But, “our severe weather threats, they’re actually a little bit lower than what we were showing you yesterday,” Monahan said.
Yesterday, forecasters were predicting a Level 3 of 5 risk for severe storms in areas south of I-20. Now, that threat is staying at a Level 2 across most of the state. In far North Georgia, the threat remains at a Level 1, though a high wind warning is in effect until 7 p.m. for counties closer to the Tennessee border. Gusts up to 50 mph are expected there, and up to 60 mph in higher elevations.
“The reason for (the lower threat) is some of what we were talking about yesterday — the wedge, the cool air that kind of protects us oftentimes from severe weather, (it’s) likely going to be a little stronger, especially north of Atlanta,” Monahan said.
That is thanks to an area of high pressure to the east of the Appalachians that is anchoring cool air over North Georgia, according to the National Weather Service.
That doesn’t mean the tornado risk goes away, though. Instead of a 10% chance, the probability of seeing a brief, spin-up tornado has fallen to 2% in the metro area, the NWS reports. South of the metro, where highs could reach the mid to upper 60s, the chance is a bit higher at 5%.
The other main concerns for areas under the Level 2 threat for severe weather are strong, damaging wind gusts up to 40 mph and a low chance of hail, Monahan said.
Heavy rain isn’t as high of a concern, as downpours should be moving fast. Still, some areas could see about an inch of rainfall, which could spell trouble for places that already saw a lot of rain and even some flooding as a result of deadly storms on Tuesday.
“The ground is saturated from all the rain we saw a couple of days ago, (it) won’t take much to bring down some trees and power lines,” Monahan warned.
In anticipation of Friday’s severe weather, several south metro Atlanta school districts opted to cancel classes or have early dismissal today. Those districts include Clayton, Henry, Griffin-Spalding, Fayette and Coweta. Newton County said it will dismiss students early.
This weather system’s strongest storms should stay to the west of Georgia over Alabama and Mississippi, the NWS reports. Some tornado warnings have already been issued for parts of Mississippi early Friday morning, and a watch is in effect for much of the state.
Friday’s storms are hitting exactly one year after powerful storms marched through the area, producing at least five tornadoes that tore through metro Atlanta and North Georgia, prompting Gov. Brian Kemp to declare a state of emergency. The storms left tens of thousands of Georgians without power and dozens without homes. At least two people died, including a 5-year-old boy in Butts County and a Georgia DOT employee during storm cleanup in Walker County.
Also on this date, in 1982, a “freak snow storm, now known as Snow Jam,” swept across metro Atlanta, according to the NWS. Up to six inches of snow fell that afternoon, bringing traffic to a halt. Most roads were blocked or impassable, causing people to leave their cars and walk home.
Today’s storms should clear out by about 6 p.m., setting us up for a cool, dry and sunny weekend. A blast of arctic air moves in early next week, bringing the possibility of a mix of rain and snow for parts of North Georgia.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
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