ATLANTA — A deepening coastal storm, or nor'easter, will move up the eastern seaboard this weekend with heavy rains, strong winds, coastal flooding and beach erosion. Impacts in many communities on the coast will be similar to that of a tropical storm. But this storm isn't tropical and won't have a name.
The low will form in the Gulf of Mexico by Saturday morning as a trough of low pressure taps into more energy near a stalled boundary. The coastal storm moves onshore in Florida along the Big Bend, then rides up the coast from Georgia to South Carolina and North Carolina before later moving up into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Over the weekend, we track rain returning to north Georgia as this low moves north. Although there are still slight model differences between how much rain we see this weekend and the track of the storm, we are getting a clearer picture. The low will likely move right along the Georgia coast rather than straight through central Georgia.
Assuming that track holds, we will see some rain and wind here, but not a high-impact event for us. If the track shifts back west on Friday, impacts could increase.
What we are expecting:
- Rain moves in late Saturday and exits sometime Sunday mid-morning to mid-afternoon
- Peak gusts around 30 mph for the metro
- If the storm track moves closer to us, rain and wind impacts increase
Timeline:
Saturday looks mostly dry during the day, but cloudiness increases as the morning and afternoon wear on. A stray shower is possible in the afternoon.
Rain starts moving on Saturday evening and becomes widespread overnight.
For Sunday's rain chances - the rain will be most prominent east of Atlanta in the morning.
Sunday morning starts with rain, especially east of Atlanta
Rain tapers off as dry air pushes in for Sunday afternoon
Rain totals will average less than 1/2 inch for Atlanta, but higher east of the metro. Totals could be around 1 inch in Athens and Eatonton. Those numbers go up if the storm tracks closer to us.
Wind Component:
Meanwhile, winds will be increasing as the storm moves up the coast. This will be a windmaker! Gusts over 40 mph will be felt from parts of Georgia up through New England as the low strengthens.
From Sunday into Monday, we could see gusts around 30 mph in parts of the area. They will be higher in the higher elevations of the north Georgia mountains. If the storm track moves closer to us, those maximum gusts could increase.
