Here’s what to expect as remnant of Hurricane Sally hits Middle Georgia
As Hurricane Sally’s water-logged remnants slog through Georgia on Wednesday and Thursday, downpours could dump more than half a foot of rain in isolated parts of the state.
Forecasters on Tuesday said that while the storm’s path and intensity could vary, it was on course to follow a general southwest-to-northeast path roughly from Montgomery, Alabama, on across Atlanta and into the Carolinas.
Rain totals from 2 to 8 inches, but with possibly greater amounts, were expected for spots in northern Middle Georgia and points north.
“It is difficult to pinpoint where the highest totals will end up,” the National Weather Service’s Peachtree City office noted in one outlook. “However, based on the latest forecast information, it appears the heaviest rain is likely to occur along the I-85 and I-20 corridors.”
The outlook further noted that “as Hurricane Sally moves inland and weakens somewhere across southern Alabama, multiple rounds of heavy rain are expected across north” and Middle Georgia.
The first half of September has for the most part been dry, and in a region that has yet to forget the flooding wrought by Tropical Storm Alberto in 1994 that comes as good news.
“Soils have dried out enough to hopefully allow for some initial water absorption as the heavier rains develop,” forecasters said.
Meteorologist Nick Morgan said the rainiest weather was on track to roll in during the evening on Wednesday and continue into Thursday evening.
He said the brunt of the downpours, “upwards of 7 inches,” was expected between Atlanta and Athens.
“And then it kind of slowly decreases as you move down toward the Macon area,” Morgan said, where rainfall amounts between 2 and 4 inches were possible.
“And then once you get up past Monroe County up into Butts and Henry and Newton (counties), that’s when it starts to get rapidly higher.”
This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 7:00 AM.