North Georgia is currently being hit by an unusual period of bad weather as isolated thunderstorms, heavy rain, are affecting communities from Atlanta to Northeast Georgia mountains. Thursday, May 14, was the date of issuance of the hazardous weather outlook by the National Weather Service (NWS), warning of vigorous thunderstorms, destructive wind gusts, and the possibility of big hail, especially in northeast Georgia.
Showers started late Monday and continued into Tuesday, leading to slips in roads and loss of power to some areas around the area. Tuesday was announced as First Alert Weather Day, meaning there was a significant risk of disruptions due to the weather for the morning as well as evening commutes.
Hail and Wind: Main Concerns
In the opinion of the Cobb County Courier and Atlanta News First, hail is the main danger, and the strongest storm cells can generate hailstones big enough to damage vehicles and roofs of the buildings. In some, there may also be gusts of wind of up to 60 mph, enough to bring down trees and power lines.
The storms do not show signs of being grouped in prolonged clusters, but will come in the form of scattered thunderstorms that will cover 30 to 50 per cent of the forecast area. Although not all communities will get hit, the storms can be strong where they hit.
Disruptions to Daily Life
The inclement weather has had a significant impact on the daily routines of the North Georgia areas. There were traffic delays on I-285 and I-75 due to heavy downpour, which reduced visibility and hence led to increased cases of accidents. Public safety suggested that drivers reduce speeds and that they do not drive through flooded intersections. Some of the nearby school districts released a casual day or changed to online learning to prevent students from leaving for school when the storm was at its worst.
The air travel at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport also got slowed down a bit during Tuesday afternoon as lightning was reported in the area. While at that, a maintenance crew was sent in several counties to keep watch over the storm drains and to cut prone branches before the onset of more storms.
Forecast for the Rest of the Week
The rains are to continue up to Wednesday, but there might be slight improvement on the situation come Thursday when the sun will reappear from the clouds. However, as rains possibilities decline, temperatures should creep into the upper 80s; feels like values near the mid-90s by weekend. The heat may pose new challenges if the humidity levels will not drop.
Meteorologists warn that even if Thursday gives some temporary comfort, another series of isolated to scattered thunderstorms is scheduled to return by the evening of Friday and possibly continue till Monday. Such a pattern here is the norm during late spring in Georgia due to the interaction of warm, moist air masses with the cooler upper-atmospheric systems, to bring about optimal conditions for daily storm building.
Staying Weather-Ready
Emergency kits should be maintained by residents, unnecessary travels during storm hours should be discouraged and people should keep a tab on local alerts through First Alert Weather app or NOAA weather radio. Both lightning and hail can break out in moment’s notice in even the most spread out of scenarios.
The National Weather Service pointed out that even though all areas might not be directly impacted, all residents in the outlook zone should take each weather update seriously. Fast changes in the conditions are frequent during the spring periods in the Southeast.
Conclusion
The about-face of North Georgia’s current round of sporadic downpour and thunderstorm activity is a pointer to the nature of the spring weather that besets this region. As hail, strong winds, and increasing temperatures are on the horizon, the residents should be careful and prepared. Either the weather changes for the better or the worse, the point is safety, awareness, and acknowledgement of the remaining chance of the forecast.
