Flood watch issued for metro Atlanta as SE Georgia faces threat

“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations,” the NWS said. “Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.”

Coastal Georgia is also expected to experience a large impact from severe weather this weekend. For those who are headed south to enjoy the beach during the last weekend before school starts, it’s important to stay weather-aware — as several inches of rain are expected along the coast.

The southeast Georgia coast was under a Level 2 out of 4 risk for flooding on Sunday, the same risk level as Saturday, the NWS warned. It will downgrade to a Level 1 risk further inland.

Rainfall totals through Sunday could reach between 1 to 3 inches, with up to 4 inches possible in localized areas. Flooding is more likely in low-lying areas and places with poor drainage.

Parts of South Georgia, stretching from cities near the Alabama border all the way to the coast, are under a flood watch until late Sunday, the NWS announced.

“Heavy rain is expected this afternoon/evening along the FL/GA line. Heavy downpours on already-saturated ground will increase the risk for flooding, especially in urban areas,” the NWS said.

Scattered thunderstorms throughout the day caused temperatures to drop Saturday. Afternoon highs were about 10 to 15 degrees lower than they were on Friday, reaching only 81 degrees in Atlanta and the high 70s in northeast Georgia on Saturday.

Isolated strong to severe storms developed in Middle Georgia Saturday, when wind gusts were expected to reach between 40 to 60 mph. A flash flood warning was issued until for parts of Newton, Rockdale and Walton counties until Sunday afternoon. Up to 2.5 inches of rain had already fallen by that morning, the NWS said.