Heavy rain and storms swept through already waterlogged North Georgia on Thursday morning, dumping an inch or more of rain across the region.
More than a foot of rain has fallen in Atlanta since the start of the year, double the average 6 inches of rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said Thursday's rainfall totals are highest in the northern and western Atlanta suburbs, which were inundated with rain when the storm system first moved into the state.
The heaviest rain continues to move east and southeast of Atlanta at midmorning as a cold front drags into Middle Georgia, according to Channel 2. On the west side the front, light to moderate showers remain. Monahan said the rain will continue for the rest of the morning.
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And temperatures are dropping. Atlanta started the morning in the low 70s but has dropped back into the upper 50s, Channel 2 reported.
The storms wreaked havoc on the morning commute, causing multiple crashes and hours of delays across metro Atlanta. Winds were gusting at 40 mph and higher as the cold front swept through, according to Channel 2.
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A ground stop was issued about 6:45 a.m. for all flights arriving to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. It was lifted just before 8 a.m. once the heaviest downpours passed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Flooding remains a concern. Flood warnings are in effect until further notice for Crooked Creek near Norcross and Pew Creek near Lawrenceville. Big Creek in Roswell is under a flood warning until 11 p.m. Friday.
A flash flood watch is in place until 1 p.m. for Cherokee County and areas north and east, according to the Weather Service.
“The ground is already very saturated, and rivers and creeks are running high,” Channel 2 meteorologist Eboni Deon said. “With additional rainfall that we are seeing with the storms that are moving in this morning, that’s only going to add to our flooding concerns.”
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
The cold front is picking up speed as it moves south, she said. Flooding is not as much a concern for Atlanta and the Southside for that reason.
“By later this morning, things will start to quiet down,” she said. “By the time we head into this evening we're drying out, and we're turning much colder.”
Even with some showers left behind, conditions are expected to improve Thursday afternoon.
On Friday, North Georgia will swap the storms for even colder weather. Some areas could wake up to temperatures in the 30s, and the projected afternoon high for Atlanta is only 49 degrees.
There are still delays all over metro Atlanta as the Thursday morning drive winds down. The heaviest traffic is on the northbound Downtown Connector, the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reported just before 10 a.m.
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