ATLANTA — There is an increased risk for falling trees and tree limbs through the remainder of the day on Wednesday, according to the 11Alive Storm Trackers.
Wind gusts may exceed 30 mph in portions of northwest Georgia. As a result, there is a higher likelihood for power outages across that part of the state.
Following Tuesday's very heavy rainfall, which in many areas was accompanied by hail, sleet and some flooding in parts of metro Atlanta and north Georgia, even more rain is on the way for Wednesday, and thunderstorms could join the mix of heavy weather.
Below is the projected wind gust forecast as of 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Wednesday morning a flood watch was expanded and extended east to include more counties. The watch was originally in effect for Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Murray, Floyd, Bartow and Gordon Counties.
Now, new counties added are Cherokee, Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Haralson, Lumpkin, Paulding, Pickens, Towns, Union and White counties.
The rain will be light this afternoon. Heavy rain and possible thunderstorms are likely tonight. This will add more runoff into already swollen creeks and streams.
WEDNESDAY TIMELINE
11:55 am | Total statewide power outages reported from both Georgia Power and Georgia's EMCs is 8,666 as of 11:55 a.m.
Most people to the north of the I-85 corridor are at an increased risk of possible power outages through the day on Wednesday.
► POWER OUTAGES CHECK | Georgia Power customers, check here. Georgia EMC customers check here.
11 am | Officials at Emory University said six cars were blocked in or damaged by fallen trees Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported.
10 am | After Tuesday's heavy rains, the pollen level has decreased significantly for Wednesday. On Tuesday morning, Atlanta's pollen count as reported by the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic was 1125. According to Atlanta Allergy and Asthma, the pollen count for Wednesday is 2.
9:53 am | Emergency managers said a small landslide of trees, dirt and rocks near Dalton had blocked a portion of the roadway on Dug Gap Battle Road. No injuries were reported, according to the report from the National Weather Service.
9:45 am | Two new flood warnings have been issued in Floyd County: One for the Coosa River near Plant Hammond until further notice. The second flood warning is for Oostanaula River near US 27 in Rome until late Wednesday night.
9:30 am | High wind gusts were reported by the National Weather Service in several higher elevation areas of the north Georgia mountains early Wednesday morning.
- 50 mph wind gust reported at 3:10 am in Blairsville
- 48 mph wind gust reported at 2:06 am in Towns County
- 44 mph wind gust reported at 3:05 am in Murray County
- 44 mph wind gust reported at 12:20 am in Jasper
A Wind Advisory for up to 40 mph wind gusts was issued for the overnight hours for most of the north Georgia mountain counties. Winds were expected to subside well after daybreak, but more heavy rain was expected to move in across all of north Georgia through the day.
Viewer photos of heavy weather from the week of Feb. 18
TUESDAY TIMELINE
8:58 PM | Chris Holcomb is tracking strong storms in northwest Georgia and the lightning they've already brought to much of the area.
8:22 PM | An outage map shows 3,251 customers impacted by 68 outages according to Georgia Power.
8:20 PM | The Coosa River near Rome Mayos Bar Lock and Dam Park has been placed under a Flood Warning until further notice.
8:17 PM | Armuchee Creek near Armuchee, Georgia placed under a flood warning until further notice.
8:06 PM | Flood warning for Lookout Creek near New England, Georgia continued until 10:49 a.m. Wednesday.
6:42 PM | Georgia Power officials report 55 outages impacting about 1,771 customers across Georgia. Many of those are in metro Atlanta.
6:32 PM | A flood warning is in effect for Big Creek near Cumming, Georgia until 7:37 a.m. Wednesday.
6:14 PM | Viewer photos show what we're told is a tree recently struck by lightning during the storms that rolled through Atlanta on Tuesday. These photos were taken in Brookhaven.
6:01 PM | Our crews found flooded roads and overflowing creeks as they made their way into northwest Georgia on Tuesday.
5:53 PM | A Delta Air Lines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after it was struck by lightning on the way to Atlanta from Milwaukee.
5:27 PM | Flood Warning for Pew Creek canceled.
4:35 PM | Significant Weather Advisory issued for parts of Chattooga, Dawson, Forsyth, Murray, Paulding, Lumpkin, Gilmer, Whitfield, Hall, Polk, Fulton, Union, Towns, Cobb, Cherokee, Gordon, Bartow, Pickens, Floyd and Fannin counties until 5:30 pm.
At 4:34 pm, a line of strong thunderstorms extended from near Rome to Canton to Cumming, moving east at 60 mph.
Heavy rains may cause temporary street flooding, especially in poor drainage areas and rising water on creeks and streams.
4:15 PM | 11Alive's Chris Holcomb says lines of strong thunderstorms have been moving across portions of metro Atlanta.
3:30 PM | A Flood Warning has been issued for the Pew Creek near Lawrenceville affecting portions of Gwinnett County until further notice.
At 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, the stage was 10.1 feet and rising. Flood stage is 11 feet.
At 11 feet, minor flooding of the natural flood plain begins. The parking lot of the Saratoga Swim and Tennis Club downstream from the river gauge begins to flood.
2:30 PM | The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for urban areas and small streams in portions of Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties until 8:30 p.m.
At 2:28 p.m., Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rains which will cause flooding. Up to 2 inches of rain has already fallen in the affected areas.
Additional rainfall amounts of 1-to-2 inches are possible in the warned area -- including much of the central and eastern metro Atlanta area, including the Midtown and Buckhead areas of the city, Brookhaven, Tucker, Doraville, Norcross, Pleasant Hill and Snellville.
Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other drainage areas and low-lying spots, according to the NWS.
A flood warning means flooding is imminent or occurring. Anyone in those areas are encouraged to take necessary precautions immediately.
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