(Cleveland)-The National Weather Service is warning residents of north Georgia to be prepared for multiple rounds of thunderstorms through Memorial Day. Strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible Sunday evening and again Monday.
- An Enhanced Risk (Level 3 of 5) is now in effect for far NW Georgia through 8 AM EDT Monday (Memorial Day). This includes an increased chance of damaging winds and tornadoes (some strong).
THUNDERSTORM HAZARDS THROUGH MEMORIAL DAY:
- Gusty winds: Strong storms could produce wind gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range, while severe storms could produce wind gusts in excess of 60 mph.
- Hail: Up to 1 inch will be possible.
- Tornado: A few tornadoes are possible across portions of north Georgia, and some may be strong (EF2+). While the probabilities are lower, a brief tornado cannot be ruled out farther south.
- Lightning: Storms will be capable of producing frequent to continuous lightning strikes.
The first round of storms will be possible very late Sunday evening and is associated with a large cluster of thunderstorms moving east from the Tennessee Valley. This area of storms will impact areas mainly north of the I-20 corridor through daybreak on Monday (Memorial Day).
The second round of storms is expected during the afternoon on Memorial Day. A line of thunderstorms along and just ahead of a cold front is expected to move through north and central Georgia through the evening.
A few trees and powerlines may be downed. Persons involved in outdoor activities (sporting events, boating, swimming) should pay attention to nearby storms and the potential for lightning strikes.
Weather forecasters say there is a High Confidence in the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms to occur for the remainder of the weekend into Memorial Day.
