Sally weakens to tropical depression as it moves inland, Flash Flood Watch for Georgia

Hurricane Sally lumbered ashore near the Florida-Alabama line around 5:45 am. Wednesday with 105 mph winds and rain measured in feet, not inches, swamping homes and trapping people in high water as it pushed inland for what could be a slow and disastrous drenching across the Deep South.

The storm has since weakened but still is expected to bring catastrophic and life-threatening flooding across the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama before trekking into middle Georgia.

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Georgia is bracing for heavy rains, possible flooding, strong wind gusts, and a couple of brief weak tornadoes cannot be ruled out through Friday morning.

At 11 p.m. Wednesday, Sally had weakened to a tropical depression with 35 mph sustained surface winds. The center of circulation was about 30 miles south-southeast of Montgomery, Alabama. Sally picked up speed moving northeast at 9 mph.

The slow movement of Sally continues and is expected to bring historic flooding, with storm total rainfall up to 30 inches in some areas of Florida and Alabama. As remnants of Sally track over middle Georgia, the rain will increase across our area late Wednesday through Thursday, and winds will get gustier. Winds can gust near or over 30 mph at times. With a saturated ground, that can be enough to bring down trees. 

The biggest impact on metro Atlanta will be torrential rain. An estimated 3 to 4 inches will fall from Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning, with some isolated higher amounts farther south, and lesser amounts farther north. Any adjustments in the forecast path can shift where the bullseye of heaviest rain will fall, so everyone needs to remain on alert for the possibility of flash flooding. 

A Flash Flood Watch is now in effect for Whitfield, Murray, Fannin, Gilmer, Union, Towns, Gordon, Pickens, Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Floyd, Bartow, Cherokee, Forsyth, Hall, Banks, Jackson, Madison, Polk, Paulding, Cobb, North Fulton, Gwinnett, Barrow, Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Wilkes, Haralson, Carroll, Douglas, South Fulton, DeKalb, Rockdale, Walton, Newton, Morgan, Greene, Taliaferro, Heard, Coweta, Fayette, Clayton, Spalding, Henry, Butts, Jasper, Putnam, Hancock, Warren, Troup, Meriwether, Pike, Upson, Lamar, Monroe, Jones, Baldwin, Washington, Glascock, Jefferson, Harris, Talbot, Taylor, Crawford, Bibb, Twiggs, Wilkinson, Johnson, Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Marion, Schley, Macon, Peach, Houston, Bleckley, Laurens, Stewart, Webster, Sumter, Dooly, Crisp, and Pulaski counties until Friday morning.

The FOX 5 Storm Team is tracking the possibility of 3 to 6 inches of rain for most of metro Atlanta. The highest amounts of rainfall will be along a line from Columbus to Griffin to Athens. Those areas could see 5 to 7 inches. Some isolated areas could see up to 9 inches of rain or more.

Runoff associated with the heavy rains could produce flash flooding and river flooding.

Remember to never drive through areas where water is covering the road. Turn around, don't drown!

A Wind Advisory is in effect from 6 p.m. Wednesday until 11 a.m. Thursday for Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Cherokee, Forsyth, Hall, Banks, Jackson, Madison, Paulding, Cobb, North Fulton, Gwinnett, Barrow, Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Wilkes, Haralson, Carroll, Douglas, South Fulton, DeKalb, Rockdale, Walton, Newton, Morgan, Greene, Taliaferro, Heard, Coweta, Fayette, Clayton, Spalding, Henry, Butts, Jasper, Putnam, Hancock, Warren, Troup, Meriwether, Pike, Upson, Lamar, Monroe, Jones, Baldwin, Washington, Glascock, Jefferson, Harris, Talbot, Taylor, Crawford, Bibb, Twiggs, Wilkinson, Johnson, Emanuel, Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Marion, Schley, Macon, Peach, Houston, Bleckley, Laurens, Treutlen, Stewart, Webster, Sumter, Dooly, Crisp, Pulaski, Wilcox, Dodge, Telfair, Wheeler, Montgomery, and Toombs counties.

The FOX 5 Storm Team predicts east winds between 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph overnight. Those gusty winds could blow unsecured object, down trees and powerlines, especially given the already saturated grounds. Power outages are possible overnight, so plan accordingly. 

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Sally is the earliest 18th named storm in a busy tropical season, beating Stan, which formed on Oct. 2, 2006.

The FOX 5 Storm Team will be monitoring the latest on Sally throughout the week, and bring you new details as they become available.

Keep up with the latest by downloading the FREE FOX 5 Storm Team app and following @FOX5StormTeam on Twitter.