MONDAY’S WEATHER-TRAFFIC: After cold start, warming trend takes hold

After a stormy weekend that brought devastating tornadoes to parts of the South and Midwest, sunshine will be the order of the day Monday.

According to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Eboni Deon, high pressure is building in behind those storm systems which will contribute to much quieter weather conditions. Dry air is in place all across North Georgia and the middle of the country, but “temperatures have definitely taken a tumble,” she said.

“If you do like it a little bit warmer, I am tracking a nice warmup over the next couple of days,” Deon said. “This morning, it is cold.”

Temperatures are in the 40s in Atlanta before daybreak, and she expects numbers to fall even further by midmorning. A light wind is making it feel even colder outside, about 36 degrees in the city, according to Deon.

By the afternoon, she expects Atlanta to reach a high of 61 degrees, which is just above average for this time of year.

“It’s going to be cool, but at least it’s going to be tolerable by then,” she said.

Atlanta's projected high Monday is 61 degrees.

The same high pressure dominating North Georgia’s weather will also benefit teams assessing storm damage in Kentucky, the state hardest-hit by the weekend tornado outbreak that left 14 people dead in Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear estimates at least 50 people were killed, but he said the state’s death toll could exceed 100.

Search and rescue efforts continue Monday.

In North Georgia, high pressure will also mean a warming trend, which Deon said begins Monday but kicks into high gear on Tuesday.

“We’ll keep it nice and dry on Tuesday afternoon with high temperatures rising into the mid-60s,” she said. “We do have some low 70s on the way. That will come with the chance of rain.”

The next round of wet weather will hold off until Saturday, when light rain is 40% likely, according to the latest forecast.

Expect a warmup this week as Atlanta stays dry, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Eboni Deon.

Gwinnett County commuters might want to leave some extra time to get to work and school Monday, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. A crash with injuries is blocking multiple lanes on Jimmy Carter Boulevard at Crescent Drive and causing delays getting to I-85.

“You want to leave a little bit early because we have a crash on Jimmy Carter Boulevard just north of I-85 that is causing delays heading southbound on I-85,” traffic reporter Heather Catlin said at 6:30 a.m.

There are no longstanding closures on any metro Atlanta interstates at the start of the morning commute, but delays are building on the Downtown Connector, where a crash involving a box truck was blocking multiple northbound lanes.

Traffic is backing up behind the crash at University Avenue, the Traffic Center reported. To avoid getting stuck, drivers can take U.S. 41 or I-285 instead.

» 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.