More than an inch of rain soaked the Hall County area overnight, continuing a wet weather finish to late winter.

Rain has stopped in Gainesville and is expected to clear out by tonight, leading to sunny skies and warm temperatures for the rest of the week.

But it delivered a washout starting early this morning and lasting until about 9 a.m., dropping 1.08 inches on Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville, according to the National Weather Service in Peachtree City.

Today’s forecast calls for showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a high temperature near 55. The area could receive another quarter-inch of rain.

Showers could continue until about 8 tonight, after which skies are expected to turn mostly cloudy.

Sunny skies are expected to return Wednesday and remain through Saturday, with temperatures hovering in the 70s and nearly reaching 80 on Friday, according to the weather bureau.

Bouts of rain the past couple of weeks have helped ease drought conditions throughout Georgia and raise levels at Lake Lanier.

The U.S. Drought Monitor, which shows Hall County on the cusp of abnormally dry conditions and having no drought, releases an update each Thursday based on data collected through 7 a.m. each Tuesday.

The lake is at 1,071.39 feet above sea level this morning, or more than a foot above the winter full pool of 1,070 feet.