Tornado Confirmed For Damage In Cherokee County

The severe storms of Sunday night for parts of the state did result in at least one confirmed tornado. The National Weather Service says a twister did touch down for a few seconds in a Cherokee County neighborhood. That’s all it took for more than 100 homes to sustain some level of damage, and 12 to be completely destroyed. Officials say the tornado was a half-mile wide and left a destructive path over a mile long. Reported twisters in north Georgia’s Cobb County, and west Georgia’s Muscogee County have not been confirmed.

Weekend Rain Soaks Much Of Georgia

Rain is sweeping much of the state this morning--from extreme north Georgia, extending to Athens, Macon, Columbus and down to Albany. A weekend soaking for much of the state has brought continued needed relief for Georgia’s reservoirs, such as Lake Lanier. The north Georgia reservoir was up to a little more than 1,058 feet as of 6pm last night. It's Lanier’s highest level since October of 2007.

From the National Weather Service, Monday's forecast for Georgia:

FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EDT TODAY FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA...

.TODAY...WIDESPREAD RAIN WITH AREAS OF MORNING FOG. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH. HIGHS IN THE 50S AND 60S NORTH...70S SOUTH.

.TONIGHT...RAIN SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM SOUTH IN THE EVENING...THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS CONTINUING THROUGH THE NIGHT SOUTHEAST. AREAS OF FOG. LOWS IN THE 40S NORTH AND 50S SOUTH.

Arctic Blast Arrives in Georgia

The arctic blast of cold air has arrived in Georgia. A sampling of temperatures Friday morning at 8am:

Blue Ridge 5 degrees
Ellijay 10 degrees (wind chill -6)
Rome 13 degrees (wind chill 2)
Columbus 19 degrees (wind chill 9)
Macon 21 degrees (wind chill 12)
Augusta 22 degrees (wind chill 13)
Savannah 30 degrees (wind chill 22)

There is a wind chill advisory in effect for portions of north Georgia until noon today.

Forecasters say Friday's daytime forecast should be sunny and cold, with temperatures ranging from the low 30's to mid 40's north to south. Temperature readings for Friday night into Saturday could be lower than those of temperatures being felt this morning.

Frigid Weather Moves Into Georgia

The coldest weather of the season has moved into Georgia. National Weather Service forecasters say temperatures below freezing will be felt across the state the next two nights. Readings in the teens will be felt in north Georgia, single-digits in the mountains, and temperatures in the 20's for central and southern portions of the state.

Combined with winds of 10-15 mph gusting to 20 mph, areas of north Georgia will likely experience wind chills of zero degrees...or colder.

Forecasters say after daytime highs only in the 30’s and 40’s for Friday, tomorrow night's readings could be lower than what Georgia will experience tonight.

Weather Update: Flood warnings issued

Some parts of the state have gotten as much as six inches of rain in the past 36 hours. Flood warnings are issued in parts of northwest and north central Georgia. Lookout Creek in Dade County and Big Creek in north Fulton have reached moderate flood stage.

Kent Frantz, a service hydrologist with the national Weather Service, says "In most cases they’re in the minor flood category so impact tend to be river access roads, woodlands, pasturelands. "

Some roads and small recreational buildings in Dade county have closed.

The bulk of rain has already moved through the state, to expect scattered light rain until later this afternoon when cooler dry air will come through.

Rain boosts Lake Lanier

Lake Lanier has benefited from recent rains. The reservoir supplies water to the Atlanta region and has been rising about an inch per hour. That’s according to the National Weather Service.

Despite the lake’s rise by about one foot, officials say it’s still well below its normal winter pool level. They do expect larger gains as the runoff from rains continue to trickle down today.

Tornado Warning Across N. Georgia (UPDATE)

---UPDATE:

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN WALKER COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAS EXITED WALKER COUNTY.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM EST FOR MURRAY...SOUTHEASTERN WHITFIELD...GORDON AND NORTHERN BARTOW COUNTIES...

AT 545 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 60 MPH. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM CHATSWORTH TO AUDUBON TO ADAIRSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO ETON... REDBUD...RAMHURST...FARMVILLE...FORT MOUNTAIN STATE PARK...FOLSOM...SONORAVILLE...OAKMAN...CARTERS...RANGER...FUNKHOUSER AND FAIRMOUNT.

---

A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5:45 PM EST FOR EASTERN CHATTOOGA AND FLOYD COUNTIES...

AT 524 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A LINE OF TORNADO PRODUCING STORMS. THESE TORNADO PRODUCING

STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM EVERETT SPRINGS TO ARMUCHEE TO ROME...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

A ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF A HOME NEAR HOLLAND! THIS IS A DANGEROUS LINE OF STORMS.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SHANNON AND PINSON.

Click here for detailed National Weather Service updates.

Warmer Winter Expected

Temperatures in Georgia are about fifteen degrees higher than typical for this time of year. And forecasters at the national weather service expect that trend to continue, as they predict a warmer winter season in 2009.

That doesn’t mean the air won’t get cold. By New Years day, forecasters expect temperatures to drop off by ten degrees. Still, forecasters say an above normal winter could produce some days much higher than the seasonal average.

This current warm air is courtesy of an air stream from the Gulf of Mexico. More tropical air could flood the southeast, as ocean waters stay warm into the winter. Forecasters do not believe these warmer highs in the southeast is due to global, man made climate change.

U.S. Coast Guard battens down Ga. ports awaiting Hanna

This NOAA graphic shows the expected five-day storm path of tropical storm Hanna on Friday, Sept. 5, 2008. Click graphic for larger image.

The U.S. Coast Guard has closed the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to inbound vessels because of Tropical Storm Hanna.

This infrared satellite image provided by the NOAA show tropical storm Hanna moving over the Bahamas on Friday, Sept. 5, 2008. Click photo for larger image.

The National Weather Service issued tropical storm warnings Friday for the East Coast from Georgia to Virginia. The storm's center was expected to make landfall along the coast of the Carolinas early Saturday morning.

The Coast Guard said in a news release Friday that the ports will be assessed after the storm has passed to determine whether it's safe for traffic to resume.

In South Carolina, the State Ports Authority plans to close the Port of Charleston to land traffic at noon Friday. The Coast Guard has urged all vessels and barges weighing more than 500 gross tons to leave as soon as possible.

This NOAA image shows tropical storm Hanna heading toward the Atlantic coast and hurricane Ike churning further east over the Atlantic Ocean on Friday, Sept. 5, 2008. Click photo for larger image.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of hurricane season.

(The Associated Press)

'Hanna' could affect Georgia

Even with the current focus on 'Gustav', forecasters have a wary eye on the Atlantic, where Tropical Storm Hanna is churning within 100 miles of the Bahamas.

This is a storm forecasters say Georgians need to follow closely. Mike Griesinger of the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City says the current projection--although several days out--puts ‘Hanna’ on a path for Georgia’s coast by perhaps Friday afternoon:

"That forecast kind of falls in the middle of them, but there’s about 10 or so models and they take it anywhere from Daytona to Charleston".

Griesinger says residents from Brunswick to Savannah should refresh their plans for hurricane preparations.

‘Hanna’ at last check was moving very slowly--only two miles-an-hour, with sustained winds near 50 mph.

Officials with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency have already activated their emergency planning. GEMA’s Kandice Eldon says they expect the state operations center to be in full-operation Tuesday.

"We’re talking staffing now...there are meetings right now with GEMA officials to talk about what steps to take next. But we do have people who are in our operations center now monitoring the storm and taking part in conference calls. Tomorrow, we’ll definitely see an influx of more agencies and representatives in our operations center".

Eldon urges coastal residents right now to reacquaint themselves with hurricane evacuation routes, and make sure they have fully-stocked disaster kits.

Flood watch through tonight

North Georgia is still recovering from waves of driving rain as the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay rumbled through today. Fay snarled traffic, swelled rivers and brought a much needed drenching to the drought-stricken state. A flood watch is in effect for the northern half of the state through tonight. The National Weather Service says no major flooding has been reported. The drenching has helped Lake Lanier, metro Atlanta's main water supply, surge more than 4 inches in the span of a day.

Confirmed Savannah tornado last week

Weather officials confirmed it was a tornado that slammed Savannah late last week. A National Weather Service forecaster says a twister cut a mile-long swath through Savannah's south side on Thursday afternoon, with winds up to 100 miles per hour. Snapped trees, downed power lines and a blown-off church steeple made up part of the damage. 31,000 homes and businesses were without power. Throughout the storm however, no injuries were reported.

Wind advisory for the state tonight

Most of Georgia will be under a wind advisory from tonight at 7pm, through 10am Wednesday.

The National Weather Service says winds of 20 to 30 miles-per-hour can be expected, with gusts reaching 50 mph. Forecasters say the extreme northeast corner of the state could get gusts above 50 mph.

An approaching cold front is expected to bring rain for most of north Georgia along with the high winds. Forecasters say overnight rainfall amounts should average a half to one inch before the rain ends Wednesday morning.

Second dose of snow likely for north Georgia

The National Weather Service says north Georgia should brace for another round of winter weather.

Precipitation will be moving into the northeast Georgia mountains early Saturday morning. With a wedge of cold air in place by then, a switch to mainly snow will occur, primarily north of a line from Cartersville to Cleveland. Accumulations of 1-3 are possible by Saturday afternoon.

Metro Atlanta can expect some snow as well. Forecasters say late Saturday morning, a rain/snow mix is likely mainly north of a line from Franklin to McDonough to Lexington. Highs Saturday are expected in the 30s.

Severe weather possible

Severe weather including tornadoes and heavy rain could hit northwest Georgia tonight. The National Weather Service says winds could range from 40 to 70 miles per hour, and that dime-to-quarter sized hail could fall. Downpours could bring 1 to 2 inches of rain. However, forecasters say as storms move through Georgia they will lose strength.

State gets cold weather to open '08

The New Year will bring much colder weather for the first days of the new calendar. Highs across Georgia today are expected mainly in the 30’s and 40’s for north and central portions of the state. The National Weather Service says a wind advisory is in effect for this afternoon and tonight for much of Georgia. A hard freeze is expected tonight into Wednesday morning, with the mercury settling in the mid and upper teens for much of northern Georgia.

Recent rain prevents driest year for Atlanta

A good dose of weekend rain across metro-Atlanta will prevent the area from setting a new mark for driest year in the record books. Showers fell long enough across the area to total about 1.3 inches on Sunday-—pushing the rain total for the year to 31.85 inches. That is about a half-inch more than the mark from the year 1954, which will still stand as the driest on record for Atlanta. However, even with rain across the Atlanta-area in 10 of the past 12 days, the National Weather Service says it has had minimal effect on replenishing Lake Lanier. The latest record low for Lanier came last Wednesday. Since that time, the lake’s level has only risen less than an inch.

Will The Weekend Drenching Help?

The Sunday night update from the National Weather Service:

Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 36. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 62. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
New Year's Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Windy, with a west wind between 15 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Rain fell in the city for a fourth consecutive day Sunday and meteorologists decided it probably would be enough to save 2007 from going down as the drought-stricken Atlanta area's driest year on record.

The most arid year ever recorded for Atlanta was 1954, when only 31.80 inches of rain fell.
Meteorologists had said it appeared that this year would have even less rain than that, saying rain falling Sunday morning would taper off and quit. However, showers continued and by 2:50 p.m. Sunday the 2007 cumulative rainfall was up to 31.56 inches — with a band of moderate rain moving in from Alabama.

"It's likely" the 1954 record will stay intact, said Mike Leary, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Dry weather was forecast for Monday.

There had been hope that Atlanta would escape a record book entry this year, as a parade of rainstorms began the week before Christmas. Atlanta got rain on 10 out of the last 12 days.

On Saturday morning, the 2007 cumulative rainfall total hit about 30.5 inches, and an overnight soaking was on the way, fed by moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.

On Sunday morning, the weather service said it didn't look like enough would fall during the day to match the 1954 level, seeming to guarantee a new record. But by 3 p.m. Sunday, more than an inch had accumulated for the day.

"It's just a wait and see," said Stephen Konarik, another weather service meteorologist.

Rain has also been unusually sparse in other Georgia cities this year, including Athens, Columbia and Macon. However, each of those cities has seen worse years than 2007, Konarik said.
Athens got 0.92 of an inch by mid-afternoon Sunday, Columbus got 1.12 inches, Augusta got 2 inches and Macon more than 2.5 inches, Leary said.

The latest rain had only a small effect on the metropolitan area's main source of drinking water,

Lake Lanier, where the receding water is exposing roads and the foundations of buildings submerged since the reservoir was created in the 1950s.

The water level in the reservoir stood at an all-time low of 1,050.79 inches on Wednesday, and by 6 a.m. Sunday it had risen to only 1,051.05 inches.

"What's falling now won't show up until tomorrow or the next day," said Rob Holland, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the reservoir.

"Anything that stops the level from falling is a good thing," he added. "But we'd like to get a whole lot more."

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the drought.

(The Associated Press)

Stormy Weather Washes Across Northern Georgia

Atlanta skyline on a rainy Friday morning, Dec. 28, 2007. (Dave Bender)

Most of Georgia is getting blanketed by much-needed rain today. The National Weather Service has forecast thunderstorms--some possibly severe--for much of north and central Georgia throughout the day. Early this morning, rain was moving in from west Georgia toward the northeast, on the way to moisture-starved Lake Lanier. Mild temperatures are forecast, from the 50's in the north to low 70's in the southern portion of the state. More rain is forecast for Sunday.


Atlanta skyline on a rainy Friday morning, Dec. 28, 2007. (Dave Bender)

Click here for more GPB coverage of the drought and statewide water crisis.

Christmas Rain Helps, But Not Nearly Enough

Lake Allatoona's shoreline is fast gaining ground as the water runs out. (file photo/Dave Bender)

Drought-stricken Atlanta received an all-day dose of rain on Christmas, and residents can expect more rain through the weekend and into New Year's Day.

Yesterday's rainfall of zero-point-five-eight inches was the second-largest single-day amount since October.

But the National Weather Service says the city's rainfall deficit is still more than 20 inches below normal.

Atlanta will need another two-and-a-half inches of rain between now and the end of the year to keep this year from becoming the driest on record.

The forecast calls for metro Atlanta calls for a slight chance of rain tomorrow, and a better chance Friday. Forecasters also predict a chance for rain -- however slight -- through New Year's Day.

(The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the drought.