Atlanta weekend storms: Scattered rain hits North Georgia

ATLANTA – A wet and muggy weekend system is pushing scattered storms through North Georgia on Saturday, kicking off a cooling trend that will lower temperatures by Sunday.

Flood risks lower

What we know:

Saturday morning brought low cloud cover and isolated fog patches across North Georgia, though visibility in Atlanta remained clear at 10 miles. Temperatures in the city hovered at 70 degrees on Saturday morning, making it 5 degrees cooler than Friday at the same time.

The chance of rain sits at 60% to 70% for Saturday afternoon, bringing sticky conditions and highs in the low to mid-80s. Heavy downpours and rumbles of thunder will move through during the afternoon and evening hours before fading away Saturday night.

Big picture view:

A distinct drying trend will begin early next week, with rain chances dropping to 30% on Monday and 20% on Tuesday. Temperatures through the back half of the week will remain seasonal, if not just slightly below average.

Sunday will be 5 to 10 degrees cooler than Saturday, carrying a predicted high of 75. While Sunday morning will start with a few early showers, the afternoon will turn predominantly cloudy with fewer storms than Saturday.

By the numbers:

• 70: The morning temperature in degrees recorded in Atlanta on Saturday.
• 83: The forecast high temperature in degrees for Saturday.
• 1.5: The maximum expected rainfall in inches for areas stuck under heavy downpours.
• 5: The distance in miles that could separate localized areas receiving heavy downpours from neighbors who see no rain at all.

What we don’t know:

Meteorologists cannot predict exactly which streets or homes will catch the heaviest downpours due to the isolated nature of summer storms. It is impossible to determine the precise timing of lightning strikes. Our meteorologists warn that if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck.