The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Warm, wet New Year’s Eve precedes risk of wintry mix
After rounds of thunderstorms that downed trees, caused power outages and flooded roads Thursday, Atlanta is looking to ring in 2022 on a wet note.
More rain is in the forecast for New Year’s Eve, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Jennifer Lopez. She expects scattered showers to begin firing up again late this morning and continue into the evening hours, which could put a damper on any plans not already canceled by COVID-19 considerations.
“We have another chance of rain (today), and then a stronger front is going to move in Saturday night and into early Sunday, and that system is going to be bringing us some more heavy rainfall and also the threat for some stronger thunderstorms,” Lopez said. “We’re not done with the rain yet.”
Metro Atlanta recorded 2 to 3 inches of rainfall by Thursday morning, and thunderstorms and heavy downpours continued into the afternoon. Lopez said she expected another inch of accumulation by the end of the day, which could contribute to additional flash flooding.
Hall County emergency management officials confirmed an EF-0 tornado touched down along Gaines Ferry Road around 12:03 a.m. Thursday, Channel 2 reported. The path was 2 miles long and nearly 75 yards wide with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
The National Weather Service issued multiple flash flood warnings Thursday in areas from Cobb County to the north to Fayette County to the south.
Flooding closed lanes on several interstates, including at the I-285/I-85 interchange in Fulton County and on I-20 East in Dekalb County. Downed trees and power lines also contributed to road closures.
In Gwinnett County, Kilgore Road was closed at Cross Road in Buford after a utility pole was damaged.
“Avoid the area, expect delays, and plan alternate routes,” Gwinnett police said on Twitter. “We estimate this intersection will be closed for several days while repairs are made.”
About 4,000 Georgia Power customers across the state were without service at the start of the morning, after the strongest storms swept through. Fewer than 400 Georgia EMC customers were still in the dark at daybreak, with the majority in metro Atlanta.
No injuries were reported.
Heavy rain is not in the forecast for New Year’s Eve, but Lopez said a stray thunderstorm is possible until about 5 p.m. Rain is 40% likely, and Lopez is expecting the bulk of the shower activity right around midnight.
A strong front moving in Saturday night will not only bring another round of storms, but Lopez is expecting temperatures to drop significantly. Numbers will stay well above average in the 60s and 70s all weekend before plummeting into the 20s Monday morning behind the front, according to the latest forecast.
Whether Georgia sees snow will depend on the timing of the cold air moving in and moisture moving out, according to chief meteorologist Glenn Burns.
Some models are showing snow and wintry precipitation extending into metro Atlanta by Sunday evening, he said.
“I do know for sure it is going to get very cold,” Burns said. “Highs Monday only in the low to mid40s. It’s always a race to see if the precip(itation) moves out before or after the cold air arrives.”