Wet, chilly weekend ahead

ATLANTA — A flood watch is in effect for much of metro Atlanta this weekend as some areas brace for several inches of rain.

Scattered, light rain is expected to continue Friday evening, but minor flooding is expected Saturday.

"The real significant rainfall (is) holding off until early Saturday," Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist David Chandley said.

The watch goes into effect Saturday morning through Sunday for areas mainly north of Interstate 20. Chandley expects between 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches of rain.

He added, "Temperatures are not moving all that much through the course of the day. Once we get into the 50s, we kind of stay that way."

The rainy weather has caused several events to be postponed. The Sweet Auburn festival, the Atlanta Jazz festival and Helicopter Day in Marietta have been postponed to a later date.

Georgia Department of Transportation crews spent much of the week inspecting and clearing debris off of interstate storm drains in anticipation of the rain.

GDOT wants to avoid problems such as flooding along sections of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85.

"We've been out all week looking at the drains making sure they're all clear," said GDOT spokesman Mark McKinnon. "We will have folks out all weekend monitoring those drains, making sure things aren't washing into them.  However, I do want folks to know (flooding) could happen if we have some heavy downpours. Things can wash downhill into lower areas and cover those drains.  They could clog up for a period of time."

McKinnon hopes drivers will report any ponding or flooding to GDOT's 511 call center or to 911.

Atlanta's Watershed Management Department is also checking its drains.

Rain is expected through at least Monday.

Tune into Channel 2 Action News for the latest hour-by-hour forecast from our team of meteorologists and download WSB-TV's Severe Weather Team 2 app for updated forecasts and severe weather alerts.

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