Atlanta weather | After brief respite, heat returns Friday afternoon

By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

After a brief respite from the searing heat, Atlanta will be back in the oven on Friday, with highs expected to climb back into the mid-90s.

Enlarge photo

Chris Duckworth, Chris Duckworth A squirrel chills out on a bench in Winder.

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The strong thunderstorms that swept across metro Atlanta before daybreak on Thursday also held afternoon temperatures in the 80s. Atlanta's official high of 85 was 12 degrees cooler than Wednesday's near-record high of 97.

Other parts of the state got no break from the heat on Thursday, with Augusta reporting a high of 104 and the mercury hitting 100 in Savannah and 102 in Valdosta.

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said early Friday that it will be "very hot again this afternoon with highs in the mid-90s and only isolated showers and storms."

Nitz said the chance of rain will improve over the weekend, from 30 percent on Friday to 60 percent on Saturday and 40 percent on Sunday.

Weekend highs will be in the low 90s, Nitz said.

If the weather cooperates and the rain holds off, construction crews will be at it again on several metro interstates, closing lanes to repave the roadways.

There will be numerous lane closures in both directions on I-75 and I-85 on the south side, roughly between I-285 and University Avenue, beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday and continuing through 5 a.m. on Monday.

In DeKalb County, the two left lanes will be shut down on I-285 eastbound between Ashford Dunwoody and Chamblee-Tucker roads and on I-285 northbound between Chamblee-Tucker and I-85.

These ramps will also be blocked: Buford Highway ramp to I-285 eastbound, the ramp from I-285 westbound to Buford Highway and the ramp from I-285 westbound to Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.

Doug Turnbull in the AM750 and now 95.5FM News/Talk WSB Traffic Center says to expect big delays in those areas along the top-end Perimeter.