Weather alert: Strongest storms move south of metro Atlanta
Tuesday evening forecast
it is a stormy Tuesday with some turning severe, even prompting a Tornado Warning or two. The air has stabilized as the day has progressed. Here's the latest from the FOX 5 Storm Team.
ATLANTA - Severe weather rolled into North Georgia once again on Tuesday afternoon.
As of 5 p.m., the threat of severe weather threats had begun to shift south of metro Atlanta, but scattered showers and lingering storm impacts continue across the region.
The strongest storms have moved into areas south of Interstate 20, including Butts, Jasper, and Monroe counties, with heavy rain tracking toward Monticello and Forsyth. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has now been canceled for several counties as conditions stabilize in northern and central Georgia.
Earlier in the afternoon, there were reports of possible tornado spin-ups in Carroll, Coweta, and Fayette counties, though confirmation is still pending. Minor has been reported in some of those areas, and additional assessments are underway.
To the north, areas like Gainesville, Banks, and Habersham counties remain cool, cloudy, and breezy, with little storm activity due to a wedge of stable air. Temperatures in Canton and Gainesville are in the 50s, while southern areas like LaGrange reached near 80 degrees earlier in the day.
As the rain tapers off, forecasters warn that patchy fog is likely to develop overnight, especially across metro Atlanta and north Georgia. Drivers should remain alert through the evening as road conditions may remain slick in areas that saw heavy rain.
The FOX 5 Atlanta Storm Team will provide live coverage on-air and on FOX LOCAL throughout the evening as needed.
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EARLIER TODAY
6 P.M. UPDATE | The ground stop has been lifted at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, but a ground delay is in effect until 8:59 p.m., according to the FAA.
4:22 P.M. UPDATE | The ground stop due to thunderstorms at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been extended to 5:15 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Waverly Hall, Geneva and Juniper in effect until 5 p.m.
4:06 P.M. UPDATE | A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect until 4:15 p.m. for Stockbridge, McDonough and Locust Grove.
3:33 P.M. UPDATE | The Tornado Warning has been canceled by the National Weather Service. Heavy rain and damaging wind gusts will remain a concern. However, FOX 5's Storm Team believes the storm is starting to fall apart.
Please send photos and videos of any damage to [email protected].
3:10 P.M. UPDATE | A Tornado Warning has been issued for Fayette and Coweta counties, including Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Coweta, and Tyrone. Warning is in effect until 3:45 p.m.
The groundstop has been extended until 4:15 p.m. at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
TORNADO SAFETY TIPS
Take Shelter Immediately – Go to a basement or interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows. Mobile homes and vehicles are not safe.
Have a Weather Alert System – Use a NOAA weather radio or smartphone alerts to get real-time warnings.
Cover Your Head and Neck – Use pillows, helmets, or heavy blankets to protect yourself from flying debris.
Avoid Windows and Doors – Stay away from glass, which can shatter during high winds.
Prepare an Emergency Kit – Include water, non-perishable food, flashlights, batteries, medications, and a phone charger.
2:45 P.M. UPDATE | A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is now in effect for Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Fulton, Haralson, Heard and Paulding counties until 3:30 p.m.
Additionally, a temporary ground stop has been put in place at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport due to thunderstorms, according to Federal Aviation Administration.
2:40 P.M. UPDATE | A Tornado Warning has been issued for Carroll County until 3 p.m.
2: 20 P.M. UPDATE | A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for Coweta County, Carroll County, Douglas County, Haralson County, Heard County until 2:45 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for Heard County, Butts County, Doughtery County, Clay County, Lamar County, Spalding County, Coweta County, Carroll County, Fayette County, Clayton County, Meriwether County, Upson County until 9 p.m.
1:38 P.M. UPDATE | A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for Randolph and Cleburne counties in Alabama.
12:48 P.M. UPDATE | FOX 5 Atlanta meteorologist Jonathan Stacey says that heavy rain and potentially severe storms are moving into North Georgia from Alabama.
EARLIER STORY
Those who are returning to work after Memorial Day weekend will find it to be a little stormy on Tuesday.
What is the weather today?
What they're saying:
A second wave of storms is expected Tuesday between noon and sunset, with a Level 2 risk in place south of Interstate 20, covering areas from Haralson and Carroll counties to Rockdale and Newton counties. That threat includes damaging winds, frequent lightning, heavy rainfall, large hail, and a marginal tornado risk.
FOX 5 meteorologist Alex Forbes says lingering showers continue to pop up around the metro Atlanta area after the storms swept through overnight.
"Tuesday afternoon, we’re going to be watching another developing system pushing in from Alabama," Forbes said. "All three—heavy rainfall, frequent lightning, and damaging wind gusts—are going to be possible."
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Tuesday's temperatures will vary across the region. While Atlanta is expected to reach 76 degrees, northeast Georgia may remain in the 60s, with highs near 80 possible in LaGrange and Meriwether County. That temperature difference will be important - with the parts of the state experiencing warmer air dealing with more severe weather threats.
From Tuesday through Friday, forecasters expect isolated to scattered thunderstorms across the region each day. These storms will also be capable of producing strong winds, hail, and heavy downpours.
What's next:
A 40% chance of rain remains for Wednesday.
Forbes concluded, "We get this mess out of here by the weekend, and I will call that perfect timing as we work our way into the start of June."
For more weather coverage and the latest local forecast, visit the FOX 5 weather page.
The backstory:
6:15 A.M. UPDATE | Metro Atlanta residents woke up to a soggy and stormy start to the holiday week, with widespread rainfall and occasional lightning strikes moving across the region early Monday morning. Temperatures hovered around 68 degrees before sunrise.
The heaviest downpours Monday morning impacted areas south of Atlanta, including Barnesville and Griffin, where gusty winds of up to 40 mph were observed. While not strong enough to prompt severe thunderstorm warnings, these winds contributed to dangerous driving conditions and a generally messy morning commute.
Farther north, areas like Rockdale and Carroll counties saw steadier rain with less lightning activity. The rain tended to taper off as it pushed into far North Georgia, but forecasters caution that few areas will escape the wet weather entirely today.
As of 7:30 a.m., if you are currently dry, conditions should remain that way through late morning, with only isolated rain chances before storms redevelop this afternoon.
The next round of showers and storms is expected to begin around 2 p.m., with a greater chance for severe weather—especially during the evening and overnight hours.
Trouble on the roads
5 A.M. UPDATE | The wet roads led to several crashes this morning, with the trouble continuing even as the rain lessened.
Another crash was reported around 5 a.m. in the right 2 lanes of I-75 NB at Highway 92 near Acworth.
A crash was also reported in the right lane of I-20EB before Lowery Boulevard shortly after 5 a.m.
Follow SKYFOX Traffic on X for more updates.
SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATES
10 P.M. UPDATE | A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for most of metro Atlanta until midnight.
9 P.M. UPDATE | A potentially-tornadic thunderstorm cell producing hail is moving into DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
8:30 P.M. UPDATE | Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties in effect until 9:15 p.m.
8 P.M. UPDATE | Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued until 8:15 p.m. for Cherokee, Bartow and Pickens counties.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued until midnight for multiple counties, including Gwinnett County, Haralson County, Bartow County, Paulding County, Polk County, Douglas County, Forsyth County, Cherokee County, Fulton County, Pickens County, Carroll County, Cobb County, DeKalb County.
7:30 P.M. UPDATE | Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued until 8:15 p.m. for Canton, Cartersville and Adairsville (Cherokee and Bartow counties).
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for Bartow, Polk and Pickens counties until midnight.
There are multiple North Georgia EMC customers currently without power. According to a post on Facebook, their crews will work around the clock to restore power to everyone who is affected.
According to Georgia Power's outage map, they have about 600 customers currently without power in the same area. Click here to see the outages.
7:15 P.M. UPDATE | A Tornado Warning for Bartow and Gordon counties, including Adairsville, Rome and Calhoun, issued until 7:30 p.m. Click here for radar.
7 P.M. UPDATE | The National Weather Service has extended the Tornado Warning until 7:15 p.m. for northeastern Floyd and southwestern Gordon counties.
6:45 P.M. UPDATE | The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning for north central Floyd County, southeastern Walker County, and northeastern Chattooga County – all in northwestern Georgia. The warning is in effect until 7 p.m.
At 6:42 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located 9 miles northeast of Summerville, moving southeast at 40 mph.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Rome, Dalton and Calhoun until 7:30 p.m. and until 7 p.m. for Summerville, Waring, Fort Oglethorpe, LaFayette and Fairview.