DC9. ZTL CTLRS DID NOT COORDINATE A WX DEV AROUND TSTMS.

Narrative

SHORTLY AFTER TKOF ON A FLT FROM ATL TO DTW WE HAD TO START DEVIATING AROUND A LINE OF TSTMS RUNNING WSW-ENE ABOUT 80 MI N OF ATL. WE WERE CLRED BY ATC TO DEVIATE E OR W AS NEEDED. WE DEVIATED W AND STARTED PICKING OUR WAY AROUND CELLS. WE HAD ONE MORE AREA OF WX TO GO AROUND TO THE W; THEN IT LOOKED LIKE WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GO DIRECT TO FLM VOR; WHICH WAS ON OUR FLT PLAN. WE HAD SWITCHED ZTL CTLRS AND INFORMED THE NEW CTLR THAT WE WERE DEVIATING TO THE W AROUND TSTMS. A FEW MINS HAD PASSED; OUR LOCATION WAS APPROX 60 MI SW OF VXV VOR. WE WERE NOT RECEIVING FLM VOR YET; SO WE ASKED THE CTLR WHAT A HEADING WOULD BE IF WE WENT DIRECT TO FLM VOR; JUST TO SEE IF WE WERE FAR ENOUGH AROUND THE W SIDE OF THE CELL TO GO DIRECT FLM VOR. THIS IS WHERE THE CONFUSION SET IN. THE CTLR TOLD US A 005 DEG HDG WOULD TAKE US DIRECT TO FLM; HOWEVER; WE WERE NOT DONE DEVIATING TO THE NW YET AROUND THE CELL BUT WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE THE 005 DEG HDG IN ABOUT 10-15 MI. ABOUT THE TIME WE WERE GETTING READY TO MAKE A TURN BACK TO THE R TO GO DIRECT FLM THE CTLR ASKED US WHAT OUR HEADING WAS; WE TOLD HIM 330 DEGS AND HE TOLD US TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE TURN BACK TO A 360 DEG HDG BECAUSE HE HAD TFC OFF OUR L. THE PROB WAS THE CTLR BEFORE THIS ONE HAD CLRED US TO DEVIATE L OR R AND WHEN WE CHANGED CTLRS AND TOLD THE NEW CTLR WE WERE DEVIATING W OF COURSE FOR WX; THEN ASKED HIM WHAT A HEADING WOULD BE FOR DIRECT FLM VOR; WE NEVER INDICATED THAT WE COULD TAKE THAT HEADING AT THAT TIME.