October chill to hit Wednesday night

October will begin on a cool note Wednesday, with afternoon readings about 10 degrees lower than Monday’s highs, followed by a sharp drop in temperatures Wednesday night.

By early Thursday, the mercury could dip into the low 40s across parts of metro Atlanta, the National Weather Service said.

Average lows for early October are around 60, with highs usually in the upper 70s. Monday’s high in Atlanta was 86.

The forecast for metro Atlanta calls for a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms and highs again in the mid-80s Tuesday afternoon, ahead of the cold front that will bring the fall-like weather.

Tuesday night will be partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s, the Weather Service said.

Wednesday and Thursday will be mostly sunny and cooler, with highs in the mid-70s and lows in the low to mid-40s.

Sunny skies and highs in the upper 70s are predicted for Friday, followed by lows Friday night in the upper 40s.

The weekend outlook is for sunny skies, with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid- to upper 50s.

The next chance of rain will be on Monday, when there’s a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, the Weather Service said.