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Heavy rain created problems across the Southeast Wednesday morning, leading to flooded yards, washed-out roads and at least one small mudslide.

Many of the most severe impacts were reported in the higher elevations of northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, where the persistent rainfall saturated the ground and created dangerous conditions. The flooding got so bad in some areas that schools canceled classes Wednesday to keep students home.

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In northwestern Georgia, Gilmer and Fannin County Schools canceled classes Wednesday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"Due to heavy rains that have saturated our area we have roads with significant damage due to wash," Gilmer County Schools wrote on its website. "Several roads are closed or impassable making it unsafe for buses to transport students."

WSB-TV reported a Gilmer County subdivision was cut off by a mudslide, and a shelter was opened to house displaced residents.

North of the border, poor conditions forced a two-hour delay of all schools Wednesday morning in Hamilton County, Tennessee, according to the Chattanoogan. Many of the roads in the areas were swamped, making travel difficult, the report added.

The Tennessee Valley Authority said it was releasing more water from dams than usual to offset the rising rivers in eastern Tennessee.

"We are spilling excess water at eight of the Tennessee River dams with all nine dams in spill operations by midweek," a TVA official told the Chattanoogan. "At Chickamauga Dam near Chattanooga, we're using the hydroelectric generators and spilling to release approximately 630,000 gallons per second."

In North Carolina, several roads were closed due to high water in the Asheville area, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times. With several roads expected to flood as rivers continued to rise, Madison County Schools announced the district would send students home at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, the report added.

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