Northeast Georgia is getting drenched and it’s not going to let up anytime soon. A wind advisory and flash flood watch remain in effect for Habersham and surrounding counties until 8am Monday.
The severe weather, spurred by Hurricane Joaquin off the Atlantic Coast, is creating dangerous driving conditions. Late Saturday there was a report of a mudslide blocking part of Dick’s Hill Parkway in Mt. Airy around the Four Oaks Package Store. The road was cleared within an hour.
There also were reports of scattered power outages throughout the region in Habersham, Rabun, Stephens, Banks, Hart, Franklin, White and Hall Counties. As of midnight, Georgia Power and Habersham EMC crews were working to restore electricity to nearly 2,000 customers in the affected areas. By 2:30am Sunday approximately 600 customers in those counties remained without power.
Extreme conditions call for extreme caution
According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Greenville, heavy rainfall will continue across Northeast Georgia and the Western Carolinas through Sunday with “potentially historic and life threatening flash flooding possible.”
Rain will persist as tropical moisture from Hurricane Joaquin wraps into a low pressure system over the southeastern United States. Additional rainfall totals of 1-3 inches are expected across the mountains.
The NWS warns periods of “very heavy rainfall” are expected to produce flash flooding along smaller creeks and streams with significant flash flooding possible. Be on the lookout for landslides and mudslides that can be triggered by heavy runoff on already saturated terrain.
Sunshine returns Tuesday
The forecast calls for an 80% chance of rain through Sunday, tapering off to a 40% chance of showers on Monday. The region should start drying out Tuesday as sunshine returns to the forecast.
Updated Sunday, Oct. 4 @ 2:30am
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Original article: Severe Weather Triggers Power Outages, Mudslide.