More than an inch of rain fell in the Gainesville area Saturday as the vertical line of storms stretching throughout the U.S. cut its way to the East Coast.

National Weather Service forecaster Alex Gibbs reported 1.25 inches of precipitation fell between midnight and 4:30 p.m., based on measurements recorded at Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport.

Rome topped the state's rain totals with the heaviest storms dumping 1.93 inches of rain on the city between 1 a.m. and 1 p.m., Gibbs said. A flash flood watch was issued briefly for Chattooga County in northwest Georgia. No severe weather occurred and the warning was cancelled early, he said.

"It has been quite a range in the Atlanta area and Gainesville area," Gibbs said, from the service's Peachtree City office.

"Once this moves out of the area, it looks like we'll have pretty nice weather in the 50s."

The extended forecast showed no rain through Saturday, Gibbs said. The first work week of 2011 should be mild and clear, with sunny skies and daytime temperatures in the 50s.

Skies are expected to clear Sunday with a high around 52.