MONDAY’S WEATHER: Plenty of sunshine after chilly start

Monday is shaping up to be a nice spring day with plenty of sunshine in the forecast.

After a chilly start in the 40s, temperatures will rise into the upper 60s and low 70s this afternoon, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan. Atlanta’s projected high is 70 degrees.

With no rain in the forecast, there should be nothing but time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

“You need a little jacket as you step outside early this morning,” Monahan said. “You will not, though, later this week as temperatures really start to warm up.”

Monahan is calling for highs in the low 80s by midweek as sunshine prevails. The next shot at rain is not until Friday, and even then shower chances are low at just 20%, according to the latest forecast.

While warm weather and sunny skies are a boon for some, those conditions typically spell disaster for allergy sufferers. But Monahan said Atlanta is past the peak of pollen season, and the city is not likely to see any more pollen counts in the quadruple digits.

Sunday’s count was 340 pollen particles per cubic meter of air, which is still considered to be the high range, according to Atlanta Allergy and Asthma, the organization that tracks the daily pollen count. Trees are still the primary contributors to pollen levels. A new count is expected to be released by 9 a.m. Monday.