Flooding Reported In Metro Atlanta Tuesday

ATLANTA, GA — Flash flood watches were turning to flash flood warnings Tuesday afternoon, as heavy, steady rains poured down throughout metro Atlanta.

The rains were coming down, in part, in areas already soaked from showers and thunderstorms from the past few days, leading the National Weather Service and other officials to issue a series of warnings.

At 3:37 p.m., the weather service issued a significant weather advisory for north Fulton and southern Cobb counties. A line of strong thunderstorms was reported along a line extending from Powder Springs to West End.

The storms were nearly stationary, giving rains plenty of chance to soak into already soggy ground.

The heavy rains could cause temporary street flooding, particularly in poor drainage areas, the NWS said.

Areas that could be impacted included Atlanta, Marietta, Smyrna, East Point, College Park, Powder Springs, Austell, Grant Park-Zoo Atlanta, Lithia Springs, Vinings and Mableton.

Officials in Gwinnett and Fulton counties took to social media to report flooding roads. In Atlanta, the North Buckhead Civic Association sent out an email reporting that Lakemoore Drive, near Mill Creek, and Mountain Way, near Little Nancy Creek, had flooded between 3-4 p.m.

"Please protect yourselves and do not drive through flood water. Select alternate routes," the email read.

Elsewhere, DeKalb County officials were warning motorists in the Decatur area to use caution, reporting that several roadways there were experiencing flooding as well.

A flash flood watch had been in effect since 3:19 a.m. Tuesday and remains in effect through Wednesday morning. According to the weather service, an additional 1-3 inches of rain could fall during that time.

A weak frontal boundary has become stationary in an area that spans from west-central Georgia through metro Atlanta to near Athens. Heavy rain fell Monday night and throughout the day Tuesday because of the front, much of it along the Interstate 20 corridor.

Some isolated areas got a whopping 4-6 inches of rain late Monday and early Tuesday, the weather service said.

Metro area counties included in the flood watch are Barrow, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Paulding and Walton.

The flood watch says that flooding is possible in low-lying areas — especially urban areas along the I-20 corridor. Creeks, streams and rivers may overflow their banks.

Residents of those areas are advised to monitor upcoming weather forecasts and be prepared to take action.

Meanwhile, the weather service also issued a hazardous weather outlook for metro Atlanta and other parts of north and central Georgia.

According to the hazardous weather outlook, there will continue to be a chance of thunderstorms in metro Atlanta every day through next Monday. Other threats throughout the week will include strong, gusty winds and frequent lightning.

Tuesday night, showers and possibly thunderstorms are expected, mainly before 3 a.m. After that, there's another chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low around 69. The chance of precipitation Tuesday night is 100 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch are possible through the night.

Wednesday's forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Otherwise, metro Atlatna should be cloudy, with a high near 80.

The rain was playing havoc Tuesday in a congressional special election in north metro Atlanta. Voting in the 6th Congressional District — in a race between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff — was going on in East Cobb to the west, parts of DeKalb County to the east and the Fulton County cities of Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton and Johns Creek, all north of Atlanta.

Image courtesy National Weather Service