LIVE WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Thunderstorm warnings expire in North Georgia; lighter rain continues

ATLANTA FORECAST 

Friday: High: 88

Friday night: Low: 72

Saturday: High: 88

» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.

[8:15 p.m.]: The NWS thunderstorm warnings across metro Atlanta have expired. A few thunderstorm warnings continue in Middle Georgia, including Chattahoochee, Harris and Muscogee counties until 8:30 p.m.

Channel 2 meteorologist Katie Walls expects rain to continue in North Georgia this evening, but the showers should be much less intense.

[8:10 p.m.]: Georgia Power reports over 12,000 customers are without power after the worst of Friday's storms. There are 160 active outages, according to Georgia Power's Outage Map.

[7:47 p.m.]: Over 9,000 Georgia Power customers are without power because of the weather today. There are 152 active outages, according to Georgia Power's Outage Map.

[7:28 p.m.]: New and extended thunderstorm warnings have been issued for Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Newton, Rockdale, Butts and Spalding counties until 8:15 p.m. by the NWS.

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Katie Walls said the storms should taper off in intensity after sunset, but they will continue into the evening.

[7:08 p.m.]: Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Katie Walls said conditions are improving in Cobb County, which is good news for Braves fans attending their 7:45 p.m. game against the Baltimore Orioles at SunTrust Park.

[7:06 p.m.]: The Braves announced that their 7:35 p.m. game against the Baltimore Orioles has been delayed 10 minutes because of the weather.

[6:57 p.m.]: Severe thunderstorm warnings were added or extended for Forsyth, Coweta, Heard, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike and Spalding counties until 7:30 p.m. by the NWS.

[6:45 p.m.]: Georgia Power reports 136 outages across Georgia, mostly in the metro Atlanta area. Over 4,000 customers are without power, according to Georgia Power's Outage Map. 

[6:37 p.m.]: Storms have moved mostly to northeast Georgia and the southwest metro Atlanta area, Channel 2 Action News Brian Manahan said.

[6:32 p.m.] The city of Milton tweeted that trees have been knocked down on Freemanville Road due to the storms, blocking it for at least the next two hours.

[6:19 p.m.] Severe thunderstorm warnings for Hall and Lumpkin counties were extended until 6:45, NWS said.

Coweta, Troup and Meriwether counties are also under severe thunderstorm warnings until 7 p.m., NWS said.

[6:14 p.m.]: Multiple trees have blocked a section of Whitlock Avenue in front of the Winnwood Retirement Community, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Whitlock Avenue (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

[6:09 p.m.]: MARTA's red line is experiencing 15 minute delays due to a previous mechanical issue, MARTA tweeted.

[6:06 p.m.]: Damages have been reported in Alpharetta, including downed trees and power outages, according to Channel 2 Action News.

[6:01 p.m.]: Clayton, DeKalb, Douglas and Fulton counties are under severe thunderstorm warnings until 6:45 p.m., the NWS said.

The severe thunderstorm warnings for Dawson, Hall and Lumpkin counties were extended to 6:15 p.m. by the NWS.

[5:48 p.m.]: Some trees and power lines are reportedly down on multiple roadways in southwest Forsyth County, according to a tweet from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.

Castleberry Road, Valley Stream Drive and Post Road at Derby Trail have all been closed due to the weather, the tweet said.

[5:43 p.m.]: Cobb, Douglas and Fulton counties are under severe thunderstorm warnings until 6 p.m., the NWS said. Dawson, Forsyth, Hall and Lumpkin counties are under severe thunderstorm warnings until 6:15 p.m., the NWS said.

Cherokee County’s thunderstorm warning expires at 5:45 p.m. Gwinnett County and North Fulton County’s thunderstorm warning was cancelled before it’s expected 5:45 p.m. expiration time.

UPDATE [5:18 p.m.]: The National Weather Service has issued severe thunderstorm warnings for Cherokee, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett and Hall counties until 5:45 p.m.

ORIGINAL STORY: A wave of thunderstorms has reached west Georgia and is entering metro Atlanta just in time for the evening commute.

Atlanta previously reached a steamy 90 degrees, which is two degrees hotter than predicted. That doesn’t bode well for these approaching storms, since all that hot air will act as fuel, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Construction on the Downtown Connector is also causing heavy delays, and traffic is stop-and-go around the Perimeter as well, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

Peachtree Road southbound near Palisades Road has two lanes closed due to construction and one lane closed northbound near Deering Road, the Traffic Center reported.

I-75 North near Jonesboro Road is experiencing heavy delays up to 30 minutes due to a crash in the left lane, the Traffic Center reported.

Only one left lane is open on I-20 eastbound near Martin Luther King Drive after a vehicle fire, according to the Traffic Center.

Roadwork is also scheduled until Saturday on Memorial Drive, between Pearl Street and Chester Avenue, the Georgia Department of Transportation said. Repairs to two sinkholes on Venture Drive in Gwinnett County are still underway. The road is closed between Steve Reynolds Boulevard and Pleasant Hill Road, which is located near Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth.

MORE: Sinkholes near Gwinnett Place Mall close street for second day

There’s also familiar construction in the right lane on Peachtree Road at Pharr Road in Buckhead that’s causing some delays, the Traffic Center reported.

The storms on the way could dump as much as 2 inches of rain in some areas.

Northwest Georgia has the greatest risk of scattered severe storms, while showers are expected to be more isolated for metro Atlanta, according to Channel 2.

A weak disturbance in Alabama and a low over the Midwest should give storms energy to develop.

The wet weather is projected to appear first on the Westside before becoming more widespread, Walls said.

Crews are getting in work at the rising state judicial building downtown before afternoon storms. The site sits across the street from the Gold Dome. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM