Heavy rainfall dumps nearly 5 inches of rain on Athens
The storm that passed through Athens on Tuesday dumped almost 5 inches of rain that swelled creeks, flooded streets and contributed to several car crashes including a fatal wreck in Madison County.
The rains that came through Athens beginning late Monday slammed 4.81 inches of rain, but of that amount, 3.61 inches came during a six-hour period from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Dylan Lusk.
Rivers in the area were also going through various flood stages, Lusk said.
The Weather Service has also advised that a another possibly severe thunderstorm will arrive on Friday afternoon. The rain will last into the evening, according to the service.
National Weather Service records show that only four months in 2023 exceeded that amount of rainfall for an entire month of rain. The heaviest rain occurred in January when 9 inches was totaled for the full month, followed by 7.95 in June, 6.04 in April, and 5.13 in August. All other months were under 4.81 recorded Tuesday.
During Tuesday morning's period of heavy rain, two crashes occurred on the Athens Perimeter, both near Tallassee Road interchanges, that required taking people to hospitals. One crash involved a single vehicle that overturned, while the other was a collision between two vehicles. A third wreck occurred on Old Hull Road when a pickup careened into a ditch.
Power outages were not a severe problem for the area, but Georgia Power did respond and restore power to about 500 customers in the Clarke County area and numerous spots in adjacent counties.
Athens-Clarke County Public Information Officer Jeff Montgomery said there were no road closures in Athens due to the storm.
Outside Athens, Madison County was one of the hardest hit.
Deputies responded to vehicle wrecks on Paoli Road, along Georgia Highway 281 and on Booger Hill Road, the latter where the motorist was killed, according to Madison County Sheriff Michael Moore.
“We had close to 15 roads flooded out,” Moore added.
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Sheriff’s Capt. Jimmy Patton said the fatal wreck appears to be related to weather as it occurred during the heavy rain. However, he said the Georgia State Patrol is investigating the wreck, which claimed the life of the driver, the car’s only occupant.
Oconee County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jeremy Wasdin said the storm’s impact there wasn’t as bad as anticipated.
The area received plenty of rain, but the county appears to have escaped any of the extremely high winds that were predicted, according to Wasdin.
“We had a few trees down and a few roads partially blocked, but nothing that was completely impassible,” he said.
Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Capt. Mike McKeel also reported that the impact of the storm was not as dire as it could have been.
“We had several roads flooded out, but nothing we had to shut down,” he said. “We survived pretty good.”
Storm: Severe weather brings power outages, wrecks and flooding to Athens area
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Tuesday's storm dumped nearly 5 inches of rainfall on Athens
