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Despite sunshine and temperatures in the low 70s on Monday, the Troup County area should prepare for potentially severe weather, according to the National Weather Service in Peachtree City.

Dylan Lusk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said there is potential Wednesday night into Thursday morning for a strong storm system to make its way to LaGrange. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has labeled LaGrange and Troup County with a marginal risk for severe storms with the potential to move up to a marginal risk.

The prediction center uses a scale from marginal, slight, enhanced, moderate and high.

Lusk said the storm system was starting to form Monday morning in Texas and Oklahoma and will be moving east. He said the bulk of the storm is forecasted to get to Troup County Wednesday evening into Thursday morning.

Lusk said the weather service is concerned about damaging straight-line winds.

“There is a potential for tornados,” he said. “The big thing we are worried about is heavy rainfall.”

Lusk said Troup County is expected to get about three inches of rain starting Tuesday through Thursday morning. He said there could also be some concern about flooding. 

The weather service is forecasting about an average of three inches of precipitation throughout the state, with areas in north Georgia getting four to six inches of rain.

According to the forecast from the weather service, Tuesday brings a 50 percent chance of rain starting after 7 a.m. with a high of about 67 degrees. 

Thunderstorms are possible Tuesday night. The weather forcast has a 60% chance of rain on the radar for Tuesday eveneing. 

Moving into Wednesday, the weather service says there is a 90 percent chance of rain during the day. Transitioning into the evening, there is also a 90 percent chance of rain when the potential for severe weather starts, based on the weather center’s forecast. The rain chances will remain at 90 percent into Thursday evening when they drop to 50 percent.

By Friday morning, Lusk says most of the rainy weather will have made its way out of the area, and Troup County should see mostly sunny skies. The temperature is forecasted to be a high of 52 degrees.

“It will be a bit cooler starting Friday, but it’ll be mostly dry,” Lusk said.