A partial lunar eclipse made for a stunning display for about five hours Friday morning, the longest eclipse in 581 years.
The full moon resumed shining at about 5:45 a.m., before most of North Georgia was awake for the day. If you missed the eclipse, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said you won’t be able to miss the big changes in weather Friday.
Temperatures are in the 30s and 40s to start the day, and parts of northwest Georgia are under a freeze warning until 9 a.m.
“I know it’s been short-sleeve weather most of the week but not today,” Monahan said. “It’s going to be much cooler this afternoon. We’re up to about 60 with a sunny sky in the forecast for your Friday.”
The lower temperatures and clear sky are both the results of a cold front that swept through North Georgia on Thursday evening, triggering a few showers. The clouds and rain are long gone, and only cooler air remains.
Conditions were ideal for viewing the partial eclipse, which began around 1 a.m. and peaked around 4 a.m. The last time a partial eclipse lasted that long was Feb. 18, 1440, according to Channel 2. It won’t happen again for another 648 years.
“It’s going to be a long time before we get a lunar eclipse that is this long,” Monahan said.
Temperatures are headed for a high of 61 degrees in Atlanta. With 10 hours of sunshine in the forecast, Monahan said “it looks great for your Friday afternoon.”
“Saturday we’re going to add a few more clouds, but still a good bit of sunshine,” he said. “Sunday, especially the second half of the day, we start to lose that sunshine as rain starts to approach North Georgia.”
Saturday will also be slightly cooler with morning lows in the upper 30s and a projected high of 57 degrees, he said. Temperatures will return to the 60s Sunday with a 20% chance of a shower, according to the latest forecast.
Headed into next week, temperatures will drop ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Monahan is predicting lows in 20s on Tuesday morning for Atlanta’s first freeze of the season.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
There are no major delays at the start of the Friday morning commute, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
“If you are about to leave the house out of Henry and Clayton counties, no reason to rush,” traffic reporter Mark Arum said at 6:30 a.m. “Trip times look great.”
Those headed south Friday could experience a tap of the brakes. A crash involving a tractor-trailer was blocking a right lane on I-75 South at Ga. 155, the Traffic Center reported.
“I’m warning you now, this afternoon on I-75 is going to be rough, probably in in both directions,” Arum said.
He expects heavy southbound delays to begin around 4 p.m., and northbound delays headed between McDonough and Stockbridge.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
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