Thunderstorm may dump up to 4 inches of rain in Columbus area

A thunderstorm with damaging winds may dump 2 to 4 inches of rain on the Chattahoochee Valley today and Friday, local and national weather officials said Wednesday.

Bob Jeswald, chief meteorologist for WRBL, said a low pressure system from the Pacific Northwest will produce heavy rain in Columbus with up to 4 inches and possibly 5 inches farther north.

“It may be a little exaggerated but I think it’s safe to say up to 4 inches of rain maybe, less in south Columbus,” he said. “Everybody will receive greater than an inch of rainfall.”

With the system producing a series of showers, heavy thunderstorms and possible wind damage , Jeswald said the system will be in the region Thursday and Friday before it moves out.

A front should be moving through the region as motorists head to work Thursday. Motorists should leave early and allow enough time to drive to work.

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City issued a flash flood watch from Thursday afternoon to Friday. Area counties include Troup, Meriwether, Harris, Talbot, Taylor, Muscogee, Chattahoochee and Marion counties in Georgia. A flash flood watch means that conditions may develop and lead to flash flooding.

Pat Biegler, director of Public Works for the Columbus Consolidated Government, said city crews will be out early. “We will have people to respond as quickly as we need to,” she said. “It’s not a surprise. If we get a lot more rain than the system is designed to handle, intersections are going to fill up. Then people need to proceed with great caution.”

To help keep the storm drains open, Biegler said city crews will be checking drains in neighborhoods likely to flood. On more than one occasion, Biegler said she has seen employees wade into a storm sewer and pull out a beach ball.

“More than once, I’ve seen my guys wade into deep water to pull a beach ball out of the end of a pipe,” she said. “It’s light and if it laying out by the pool, it gets blown into a ditch and can make a huge difference.”

Those items can clog the pipe and cause water to back up in the neighborhood, Biegler said. Residents are encouraged to pick up unsecured items to prevent them from strong winds.

“You can’t anticipate it too much except to know that it’s coming and you want to be prepared,” Biegler said. “ People coming home should be trying to secure lawn furniture. All of those things if they end up in the ditch can create blockages that can back up in your neighborhood.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Thunderstorm may dump up to 4 inches of rain in Columbus area."