Flood Warning, Watch Issued As Heavy Rains Hit Atlanta Metro

ATLANTA, GA — Thunderstorms have dropped from 1.5 to nearly 4 inches of rain in some parts of the Atlanta region, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning and flood watch.

Strong to severe storms are possible Thursday afternoon and evening, the weather service tweeted. The forecast calls for rain throughout the weekend before ending Sunday night; Monday is expected to be clear and sunny.

"Central Georgia is under a 2/5 risk with areas south of I-20 under a 1/5 risk," the National Weather Service said. "A brief tornado is possible, but primary hazards are flash flooding and damaging winds."

The flash flood warning is in effect until 2:15 p.m. for parts of Cobb, Dekalb, Douglas, Fulton, Carroll, Haralson and Paulding counties.

Areas of heavy rainfall will continue to slowly move across portions of the area through Thursday afternoon. Additional rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches with locally higher amounts are expected on top of already saturated grounds.

Localized flash flooding and quick rises on creeks and streams is possible through this evening.

At 10:27 a.m. radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1.5 and 3.5 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of half an inch to 1 inch are possible in the flash flood warning area, where flooding is occurring.

The warning means flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses, as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas is imminent.

Some locations that will experience flash flooding include: Atlanta, Douglasville, Carrollton, Decatur, Buchanan, Sandy Springs, Smyrna, East Point, Villa Rica, College Park, Powder
Springs, Chamblee, Doraville, Clarkston, Austell, Hapeville, Bremen, Stone Mountain, Temple and Hiram.

Several reports of flooding have been reported in southern Paulding County, the NWS said. In addition, several creeks and rivers have exceeded their banks and are in flood stage.

Most flood deaths occur in vehicles; do not drive on flooded roads.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for Peachtree Creek near Atlanta affecting DeKalb and Fulton counties.

A flood watch is in effect until 7 p.m. Thursday for numerous counties, including: Paulding, Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Barrow, Clarke, Oconee, Douglas, DeKalb, and Walton.

The cities of Griffin, Lawrenceville, Cartersville, Newnan, Gainesville, Athens, East Point, Conyers, Rome, Marietta, Carrollton, Covington, Atlanta, Douglasville, Decatur, and Peachtree
City are included in the flood watch.

Here's the weekend forecast:

Thursday Afternoon: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 4pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 71. Southwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers between 11pm and midnight. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 3pm. Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8pm and 2am, then a chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

New Year's Day: Showers, mainly after 2pm. High near 74. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday Night: Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 8pm. Low around 59. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 8am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8am and 11am, then a chance of showers after 11am. High near 62. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 27.