FRIDAY’S WEATHER | Cooler air is here along with isolated showers

It’s cooler in metro Atlanta on Friday, and we should finally see some rain. The bulk of it won’t get here until tomorrow, though.

Most of the rain this morning is falling in far northwest Georgia, where it is desperately needed. An exceptional drought has been declared there for the first time in seven years, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said. Closer to the city, we are under moderate drought conditions.

Showers will make their way into the metro throughout the day as a cold front moves through, bringing temperatures down but still above average. The high today will top out around 70 degrees, about 10 degrees cooler than where we’ve been for the past few days. The average high for this time of year is in the upper 60s.

As for rain, it’ll be hit or miss for most of us on Friday, with more persistent showers coming over the weekend. Still, it won’t be a complete washout, Monahan said.

“Kind of a light rain, mist, drizzle at times as we go through your Saturday,” he said. “Sunday is going to start wet and a little drier later in the day.”

The rain, while much-needed, won’t be enough to break the drought, especially in North Georgia, where several wildfires have already burned hundreds of acres.

Exceptional drought conditions were declared Thursday, and it’s the most severe drought category reportable. It is only expected to occur once or twice every 100 years, meteorologist Ashley Kramlich reported.

The last time the area experienced an exceptional drought was in 2016, the same year wildfires tore through the northern part of the state. Thousands of acres burned, and further north, one of the deadliest fires the eastern half of the country has seen ravaged Gatlinburg, Tennessee, claiming 14 lives.

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