Water fills ditches, yards after hours of steady rain in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – After at least 12 hours of steady rainfall, water was pooling on roadways and yards across Augusta on Monday afternoon as the saturated ground seemed unable to absorb more.

News 12 meteorologists issued a FIRST ALERT with a chance of strong winds and flash flooding.

The rain was expected to dissipate by late afternoon, bringing at least a couple of days of sunny skies.

MORE FROM NEWS 12:

• Latest forecast from News 12 First Alert team
• How to drive safely during this rainy day across the CSRA

But along with those sunny skies, there will be wind gusts. With the soil loosened by rainfall, that’s often a recipe for trees toppling in the CSRA.

Traffic accidents stayed at a minimum through much of Monday, with one big exception: A crash closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 20 for about three hours in Taliaferro County. Traffic was flowing again by 2:20 p.m.

With a forecast of up to 3 inches of rain, water filled ditches – and in some cases, yards – in typically flood-prone parts of Augusta, like the Ellist Street neighborhood adjacent to Calhoun Expressway.

Here’s a look at the situation by midafternoon:

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.