The flooded roads, swollen rivers and plethora of warnings and advisories Friday told a story of intense rainfall for metro Atlanta.
And so did the raw numbers.
By noon, 2018 had become the second-wettest for Atlanta, going all the way back to the start of record-keeping in 1879. At that point, 69.46 inches of rain had fallen this year, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan.
Next up? The record of 71.45 inches, set in 1948.
At the day’s outset, 2018 was No. 8 overall, and it quickly moved up the rankings.
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The latest target to fall was the total from 2009, when 69.43 inches fell, some in memorable — and deadly — fashion.
According to Channel 2, about 300 roads were flooded and closed when the bottom fell out Sept. 20, 2009. That included both lanes of I-20 west of Atlanta, I-575 at Ga. 92 and the Stone Mountain Freeway.
Ten people died, most of them while driving at night, Channel 2 reported.
As for the latest rainfall onslaught, more than 3 inches have been measured at the Atlanta airport since Thursday, according to Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz.
“An additional 1-2" inches is possible today,” Nitz said.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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