Strong storms, flooding possible for north Georgia this weekend

ATLANTA - Two distinct storm systems are preparing to bring rounds of heavy rainfall and strong winds across north Georgia.

What we know:

The first system arrived in northwest Georgia mid-to-late morning on Saturday before tracking east. The second wave is expected to come late Saturday night and continue into early Sunday morning.

There's a chance of a severe storm risk, but it is low, not zero. The biggest threats are damaging wind gusts and heavy, slow-moving downpours that could cause flash flooding in low-lying areas.

A Level 1 out of 5 risk extends over metro Atlanta with a small Level 2 risk touching the far northwest corner of the state. The main threats include damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph, frequent lightning, and a small chance of large hail.

The rain chances stick around into Sunday with isolated and scattered storms popping up, mostly in the afternoon. Temperatures will stay a bit cooler, landing in the mid-80s.

By Sunday, the Level 1 risk shifts toward the eastern half of north Georgia.

Even though the chances of rain are high, there will actually be some decent breaks in the rain mixed in throughout the weekend.

What we don't know:

While it's clear that heavy rain is on the way, it's impossible to predict exactly which neighborhoods or specific streets will see the heaviest downpours and possible sudden flooding before the storms actually form.

Since the threat of damaging wind gusts is isolated rather than widespread, we won't know the exact paths of the strongest storm cells until they show up live on radar.