Drenching rains this weekend benefited Lake Lanier and may have otherwise improved drought conditions.

But another potential storm system headed here this week bears watching, especially in flood-prone areas.

"It doesn't help that we have had rain here in the past, because unless that drains well, it could cause issues in areas that got a good amount of rain and may get another good amount," said Robert Garcia of the National Weather Service in Peachtree City.

"Definitely, it's a situation ... to keep an eye on."

The Hall County area received between 1 and 2 inches of rain between Friday and early Sunday morning. The National Weather Service says Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville received 1.57 inches Saturday and Sunday.

The rain pushed the lake toward summer full pool, which normally begins May 1.

The lake was at 1,070.6 feet above sea level Sunday evening, or nearly half a foot below the summer full pool of 1,071 feet. Winter full pool, which begins Oct. 1 and lasts until April 30, is 1,070 feet.

Chris Lovelady, assistant operations project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Lanier, has said the amount of runoff that makes it to the lake depends on the intensity and overall duration of the rain.

Officials have said the full impact is often felt in 24 to 48 hours after the rainfall has ended.

"There is plenty of storage capacity right now," Lovelady said. "A large rainfall would produce quite a bit of runoff, which we would store in the lake."

On Friday, before drenching rains began spreading across the region, the lake was at 1,070.2 feet.

The U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday mornings based on weekly data collected until 7 a.m. Tuesdays, shows Hall County — and most of Northeast Georgia — in an "abnormally dry" zone.

Most of Georgia is in moderate drought, while portions of southeast Georgia are in "extreme drought." All of Georgia is showing some level of drought conditions.

That could change, especially as the week progresses. The Weather Service forecast shows sunny skies Monday and Tuesday, then switching Tuesday night to a chance for showers. Rain could linger in the area through Thursday.

Plus, "there is a possibility for some thunderstorms," Garcia said.

As of Sunday, storms don't appear severe, "but we're still far away enough that we don't make that determination yet," he added.

After Thursday, the outlook is for sunny skies to return and remain through Sunday, with highs in the 60s Saturday and Sunday.

Staff writer Tricia L. Nadolny contributed to this report.