Lake Lanier may have lost out on Fay, but there’s hope yet that rainfall this week will bring much-needed relief.

This time last week, as the tropical storm was preparing to unleash its fury on Florida, weather forecasters gave hope that Fay would push northward into Georgia and serve as a possible drought buster.

Fay moved north all right, hammering Central Florida as it went, but then it took a sharp turn to the west and toward the Florida panhandle.

Northeast Georgia felt a stiff breeze and some sprinkles, but not much else.

However, the National Weather Service in Peachtree City is predicting a chance for rain and thundershowers through Sunday, including possible heavy rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday.

Sunny skies might be taking a summer vacation, but Lake Lanier could be in for a drenching, just before the normally busy Labor Day holiday arrives.

The outlook for Lake Lanier has been grim.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has predicted that Lanier will hit 1,053.2 feet above sea level by Labor Day weekend, and by Sept. 5, the level is expected to reach 1,052.8 feet — only 2 feet above its historic low of 1,050.79 feet, recorded last Dec. 26.

The lake never has reached this level during the summer recreation season, and the impact now is far greater than it would be in December.

Beyond this week’s good news for the lake and area lawns, Kent McMullen, a meteorologist with the weather service, said the tropical storm season in Georgia isn’t over and should last through October.