Beneficial rainfall will arrive in Metro Atlanta this afternoon, and the rain will continue through Saturday morning before moving out of the region.
As of the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, Metro Atlanta and North Georgia is still experiencing Moderate to Severe Drought conditions that developed last Fall.
According to NOAA, as much as 9 to 11 inches of rainfall is needed in the next 4 weeks in order to end the drought.
Metro Atlanta will not experience that much rain this weekend, but it will be heavy at times!
Timing the Rain on Friday
Below is the hour-by-hour Futurecast Radar for Friday.
The rain and storms will arrive midday, but once it arrives, it will sit over the Metro area through the afternoon and evening hours. Some of the rain will be heavy at times through midnight.
Timing the Rain on Saturday
Below is the hour-by-hour Futurecast Radar for Saturday.
The rain will be heavy at times through sunrise, and a few rumbles of thunder cannot be ruled out. A few storms may be capable of an isolated damaging wind gust, but widespread severe storm damage is not expected.
The torrential downpours will slowly move out of Metro Atlanta after 12pm Saturday, but a few lingering light showers cannot be ruled out through Saturday night.
Adding It All Up: How Much Rain?
With the slow-moving nature of this system, rainfall totals will vary across the Metro Atlanta area and further north into the mountains.
Overall, as much as 1 to 2 inches of rain is to be expected all across the Piedmont region, though pockets of higher rainfall are possible where heavier downpours linger over an area for a long amount of time.
The North Georgia Mountains may experience higher rainfall -- around 4 inches of rain -- as the storm system moves over the higher elevations.
As a result, flash flooding may be a concern for North Georgia through Saturday afternoon.
BIG Temperature Drop on the Way!
This weekend’s rain is associated with a cold front that will sweep the near-record high temperatures out of the Metro region and usher in conditions more seasonable for mid-January.
Afternoon temperatures will stay in the 60s to low 70s through Saturday, but by Sunday, temperatures will struggle to climb out of the 40s!
In addition, morning lows will go from balmy to frigid, with a potential hard freeze in the forecast for Monday morning.
Long-range data indicates that the recent warm spell may be a distant memory as cold air settles into the region for the rest of the month.
It’s too soon to mention such things like “wintry mix” or even “snow”, but I will be monitoring a few systems as they roll through North Georgia over the next two to three weeks.