Atlanta Weather Continues Nasty Streak

In Atlanta, this past weekend has been the picture of nasty weather. The timing could have been a lot better for my household. As it happens, we had relatives visiting from Europe -- their second trip to the United States. Fortunately, during the earlier part of their holiday two weeks ago, they were able to visit some very picturesque areas of this part of the country, like Savannah and Charleston, and had beautiful weather while seeing those places. However, when they returned to Atlanta last week, the weather turned sour. Our plans to visit Stone Mountain and Fox Theater were cancelled due to the thunderstorms.

Today, though, has thus far been the worst of it for all of us. Today is not only the day my in-laws were scheduled to return to Europe, but also the day my husband returns to work - which involves air travel.

This morning, at a doctor's appointment for one of my children, I listened as two women were discussing the rising waters at Lake Lanier. That was of little concern to me, though I know that this is a concern to many who live in this area. However, when the ladies began discussing road closures and bus delays in Gwinnett and Cobb counties, my ears perked up. The mention of I-75 delays further piqued my interest, as my husband and his parents would be heading that direction toward the airport in the afternoon.

When I returned home a short while later, a quick glance at the Georgia Navigator confirmed my concerns. The roads were split-pea soup, and there were delays all over the Atlanta-metropolitan area, with heavy concentrations around Hartsfield Jackson airport. Further, an email notification from our kids' school district stated, "Expect bus delays due to extreme rainfall and road closures...For parent pick-ups that are delayed, students will be held and supervised at school until your arrival."

Joy. Still, my husband and his parents left about an hour earlier than initially planned, and braved the GA400. They did, fortunately, arrive at the airport in plenty of time.

That would be a happy ending, or so it would seem...but no, not quite. I went outside, shortly after my son returned home from school, to see if the rain had let up at all - and my next door neighbor was coming out of her garage. She saw me, and made a joke about the "pool" on the side of her house. I went to take a look, and sure enough, the entire area was flooded. Even my joke about "beach front property" fell a little thin, because there are unspoken, but understandable concerns about water seepage.

To make a bad punchline worse, my husband called me and asked me to check on the status of his flight. I did, and sure enough, his flight was delayed by almost three hours, which will leave him stranded in his connecting city. No chance of arriving at his destination tonight.

Yes, the weather is wonderful. Rain makes the flowers grow. If nothing else, at least my in-laws' flight left on time, and was a direct flight. Even better, I don't have to leave the sanctuary of the indoors anytime soon.