More Rain on Way; Flood Watch Continues

A flood watch continues in effect for Stephens County through Thursday morning as more rain is expected.

Already since 7 a.m. Monday, downtown Toccoa has received 1.47 inches of rain.

That is on top of the more than five inches of rain that has fallen in downtown Toccoa since early last week.

National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg Meterologist Andrew Kimball said that last night was the first round of what is a two-round rain event.

He said the second round will get here in the next 24 hours or so after a break through the day today.

According to Kimball, the next round will arrive tonight and peak during the day on Wednesday.

“That will produce an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain across northeast Georgia,” said Kimball.

He said even after the rain stops, the rivers and streams may need some time to absorb all of the water before receding.

“The rain should really start tapering off by Wednesday evening,” said Kimball.

The rain has also been accompanied by unseasonably warm temperatures for the early part of Winter.

Kimball said that more seasonable weather is around the corner and is expected to be here in time for the start of 2016.

“We are 20 to 30 degrees above normal,” said Kimball. “We have been that way for several days. It looks like we should see a gradual cooling trend mid to late week and a cold front should push through Thursday. By the new year, we should be back to near normal.”

High temperatures are expected to reach the lower 50s for the weekend.