Tropical depression Claudette brings heavy rain overnight Sunday with risk of severe storms to the east

Father's Day Weekend was drying out Sunday morning as a tropical system, expected to bring several inches of rain to north Georgia throughout the weekend, passed over the state. A cold front expected to move through on Tuesday with even more rain.

Rain wasn't heavy on Sunday morning in most of North Georgia with light scattered showers throughout the region. The tropical depression swept from the Alabama border was east of Atlanta on Sunday and passing into South Carolina. Overnight, the heaviest rain fell in northwestern Georgia. There's a marginal risk of severe storms confirmed to east Georgia. 

More bands of rain are expected Sunday as the day goes on with the potential of two to four inches, particularly to the east. Some areas may see less than one inch of rain, however. By 9 p.m., north Georgia is expected to be dry. 

A Flash Flood Watch will go into effect at 2 p.m. Saturday and will last through 8 p.m. Sunday for Fannin County, Gilmer County, Union County, Towns County, Rabun County, Pickens County, Dawson County, Lumpkin County, White County, Habersham County, Stephens County, Bartow County, Cherokee County, Forsyth County, Hall County, Banks County, Jackson County, Franklin County, Madison County, Hart County, Elbert County, Polk County, Paulding County, Cobb County, North Fulton County, Gwinnett County, Barrow County, Clarke County, Oconee County, Oglethorpe County, Haralson County, Carroll County, Douglas County, South Fulton County, DeKalb County, Rockdale County, Walton County, Newton County, Morgan County, Greene County, Heard County, Coweta County, Fayette County, Clayton County, Spalding County, Henry County, Butts County, Jasper County, Putnam County, Troup County, Meriwether County, Pike County, Upson County, Lamar County.

The National Weather Service said a Tornado Watch presented an extraordinary threat to life or property in Dougherty County and Irwin County until 9 a.m. Sunday. A larger Tornado Watch box southwest of metro Atlanta expired at approximately 7 a.m. Brief spinups are possible while bands of weather pass off to the east. 

To the west, drying air will decrease the rain chances in the afternoon on Sunday. Gusty winds from 10 to 20 mph are likely. 

Showers are likely to return Monday and Tuesday as a cold front stalls to the northwest and a tropical flow of moisture stays in place.

Sunday was off to a cool, muggy start with temperatures were in the upper 60s and low 70s.

Tropical depression Claudette, previously referred to as Potential Tropical Cyclone Three, upgraded to a tropical storm in the early morning hours Saturday. The maximum sustained winds are at 45 mph, according to National Hurricane Center.

Saturday saw a rise in humidity and some showers and thunderstorms being pushed ahead of that tropical system during the early morning hours.

Claudette was later downgraded to a tropical depression Saturday afternoon and is forecasted to become post-tropical on Sunday. 

The system is then forecast to re-develop over the western Atlantic Ocean on Monday as it moves away from the East Coast of the US.

A Tropical Storm Warning was in effect for East of Morgan City, Louisiana to the Okaloosa-Walton County line in Florida. This includes Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans.

Some of those storms could produce spin-up tornadoes that are typical of landfilling tropical systems.

That first punch will move out by Monday morning, but moderate to heavy rainfall is expected to push through the state again on Tuesday with a cold front pushing into the state.

It is not exactly clear how much rain both events will dump on Georgia, but it will be significant. The good news is the last week did help dry out the area, keeping waterways at normal levels and the ground able to soak up some of this extreme moisture.

The FOX 5 Storm Team will continue to track these two systems over the next few days. Keep up with the latest by downloading the FREE FOX 5 Storm Team app and following @FOX5StormTeam on Twitter.

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