ATLANTA — North Georgia's most significant rain since Helene will be moving into the area midweek, bringing 1/2" to 2"+ to parts of north Georgia.
We are issuing an 11Alive Weather Impact Alert for Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning for rain that could be heavy at times.
When: Wednesday 12 p.m. until Thursday 12 p.m.
What: Rain moves into north Georgia. At times, the rain will be widespread and could be heavy. The heaviest rain will happen south and east of Atlanta.
Impact: Wet commutes and a higher risk of slick roads. Low risk of creek and stream flooding, mostly southeast.
Need To Do: In preparation for the rain, make sure it has somewhere to go! Clear downspouts and storm drains of fall leaves and debris. With a month-long spell of relatively dry weather, the roads may also have extra build-up of motor oil on them, leading to slicker commutes.
Setup
Tropical moisture is being funneled into Georgia as Rafael makes its way into the Gulf of Mexico. Although the center of the storm will be hundreds of miles away, the deep moisture associated with it will get pushed up into the southeast.
Wednesday's rain coverage could be fairly spotty early, but then an increase in coverage later in the day.
By the evening commute, more areas of showers are pushing into north Georgia. These will be light at first. The rain becomes more widespread later in the evening.
It will also turn heavier overnight, especially in the south and east of Atlanta.
By Thursday morning, the rain will continue to impact the morning commute.
The rain could stay fairly widespread through the late morning to midday hours Thursday.
It will then taper off later Thursday with just spotty showers remaining.
Rain totals
Rain totals will widely vary. Northwest Georgia will see the lowest rain accumulations, with less than 1/2" to 1" likely. In the metro, 1/2" to 2" is possible.
In the southeast of Atlanta, isolated amounts around 3"+ are possible.
This is where the Weather Prediction Center has placed a Level 2 'Slight' chance of excessive rain for Wednesday through early Thursday.
